Where East meets East: BSMC x Royal Enfield
By Dutch van Someren - 27 Oct 21
Born in England in 1901, Royal Enfield began building bikes in India in 1955 moving to entirely Indian-made machines by 1962. In taking-on the mantle of these iconic bikes of that era, Royal Enfield somehow captured the enduring spirit of Great Britain while finding a new home in India. The Company has since evolved to hold a place in the heart of two nations, with a shared provenance.
This Indian-British nationality has a natural place in East London, where culture, food and fashion from the South of Asia has taken root over generations, centred around Brick Lane, Bethnal Green and Shoreditch, also home of the Bike Shed Motorcycle Club.
To celebrate this meeting between East & West in the world of motorcycle manufacturing, Bike Shed and Royal Enfield have created a clothing and apparel collaboration that celebrates East London; a melting pot of East meets East, where Asia defines the tastes, smells, colours and sounds around the Bike Shed's first venue, alongside East London markets, bakeries, butchers, pubs and workshops.
Some of the designs take inspiration from the Bike Shed x Royal Enfield collaboration bike build, co-designed by Royal Enfield's UK Design & Technology team and Bike Shed's Founder, Dutch, to be the perfect East London urban street bike. The collection also draws on the creative side of urban East London, exploring the art and style of the district in billboard, street and stencil typography.