#fatlassattheback

[fatladattheback]

Joining The Bulge

I was looking for something recently on our Facebook page and as I flicked through all the photos and the comments from FLAB’s I couldn’t help but feel a great sense of pride.

It struck me what a brilliant, extremely funny, diverse bunch of people make up the FLAB bulge and how that variety and sense of ‘team’ so perfectly epitomises what I had hoped for the brand.

Our recent Autumn Winter photoshoot couldn’t have embodied this any more and I am thoroughly “chuffed” with the photographs. Admittedly being mates with Simon Wilkinson, who is arguably one of the country’s finest sports photographers does help you get some really great shots, but as well as that, I think you can also see the genuine pleasure and pride on the faces of our ‘models’. 

The models are a perfect representation of our customers, because they are our customers and they span a broad cross section of size, experience and ability, from Skinny Rob who’s a super fit, competitive athlete and probably weighs less than our dog, to the beautiful and ever glamorous Justine; the face of Fat Lass and our plus size model, who’s relatively new to cycling and still only ever carries cash and a lipstick in her cycle jersey pocket!

The camaraderie and encouragement between the riders, the general sense of pride in wearing the FLAB badge and of being part of something great, not to mention the constant laughter and good humored banter, made for a fantastic day. 

I know that some people feel the need to question the appropriateness of slimmer FLABS and I admit to feeling a bit disappointed because I feel like they have missed what we are all about. It has to be said that Fat Lad At The Back isn’t an outsize brand. It’s a sports brand, which does sportswear in all sizes because people of all sizes do sport.

The brand was originally created for lads like me - Mr Averages, with a 44" chest and a 38" waist who couldn’t find anything to wear. It quickly became apparent that there were other cyclists out there who were bigger and they needed something to wear too, so we introduced larger sizes into the range. Then we met a lad called Geoff, he was 23 stone and our largest jersey didn’t go anywhere near him. His story really touched and inspired us, so we designed the Spare Tyre range, a bespoke collection tailored for Geoff and all the other lads like him. In no time, the lasses were saying "what about us?" so we began work on our women's range and what we have become, is a brand for all people.

Whilst the models in our photo-shoot may not share a body mass index, they do share the FLAB ethos, which celebrates everyone and anyone who’s having fun on their bike and encourages others to join them. 

Sportswear brands don’t usually acknowledge the achievements of ‘average people’, but we and the FLAB Community do and our social media is full of photo’s of FLABs, of every shape and size, achieving all sorts of fantastic things and that’s what makes it such a great place to be.

To put it simply, when you put on a Fat Lad At The Back jersey you're part of the bulge and that means whoever or whatever you are, you just got an extra 10,000 friends.

We are the Fat Lads At The Back - Join us and be proud.

[fatladattheback]

[fatladattheback]

What about the Lasses?

Well it didn’t take long after the first delivery of Fat Lad At the Back kit to arrive for the girls to shout “what about us?”

We all know there is something symbolic about being a fat lad at the back. You may in truth not be fat but there’s always someone more whippet shaped and faster! The challenge, for us, wasn’t necessarily ripping up the cycle clothing templates for women’s gear; we’ve done that successfully with the Lads kit.

The real challenge was whether we describe women as ‘Fat Lass At the Back’. This is unchartered metaphorical territory; a territory that touches on more sensitive issues and infinitely more personal feelings and attitudes. Surely in a world obsessed with size 0, women would steer clear of a brand that labelled them as ‘fat’ and turn against us? Perhaps not...

More and more stories surface from Lads who have achieved great things, overcoming personal difficulties, losing weight, feeling healthier and generally enjoying life more. The fact that our kit acts as an ice-breaker whilst out riding; so other riders laugh with and not at our Lads heightens their sense of empowerment. The Lads, in their flattering and equally well fitting gear are enjoying themselves. The girls, or should we say Lasses, wanted to feel that same confidence. It is all about having fun in great quality, great fitting technical garments that they look and feel great in. We still know that some Lasses may not feel comfortable on the inside when their great fitting jersey labels them as ‘Fat’ on the outside. This led us to developing a range that supported both types of Lasses.

As Clare Woodhall, FLAB customer says “Go out and have fun, life can be far too serious!”

Without further a do Lasses, say hello to the Full Fat and 0% Fat jerseys. We know feeling good on the inside is just as important as looking good on the outside. Whatever you wear you are not alone, be proud! Let’s ride.