Artist's Inspiration
I was extremely fortunate to have known Adé and to have shared a special relationship with him. Adé and I met in the context of our shared profession and became fast friends. We not only shared a love of lettering and design; we also shared a love of bikes. Over the course of our friendship, we geeked out over letter forms and commissioned each other to design hand-lettered tattoos for each other, which we had tattooed in the same place on our right legs. We talked constantly about bikes, bike gear, and watts; though, because of our geographic distance from each other, we were never able to ride together during the years of our friendship. Designing a kit in his honor is a way of expressing my gratitude for him, his memory and a way to have him with me as I ride. Adé loved roses and their powerful symbolism, and referenced them constantly in his work, and so when I was thinking about creating this kit in his honor, I immediately knew I had to incorporate roses. I also designed some lettering for BE THE ROSE that sits on the back of the jersey in a style that mimicked Adé’s. This is a kit I know Adé would have loved, and it was an honor to design it for this wonderful cause.
