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When CycleWorldNetwork got an email from "Arlene the BIker Queen" inviting us to check out her line of "Chopper Couture" fashions we were definitely intrigued. Who would have thought of combining bikers and high fashion? We managed to catch up to Arlene for a chat about her clothes that combine eco-friendly products with a bracing dose of biker attitude.
[CWN] - Ok, first we have to ask you about that title of "Arlene the "Biker Queen"! [Arlene the Biker Queen] - Well besides my obvious love for bikes let's just say that I'm related to the last Queen of France before Marie-Antoinette… but that's for another story... Most people wouldn’t imagine putting “Chopper” and “Couture” in the same sentence! Can you tell us how you became involved in developing clothing lines that are motorcycle influenced? It all started in 1999 when Arlen Ness commissioned us to produce tees and sweatshirts with art-driven original graphics embellished with elements from the "couture-scene" for his costumers. Arlen Ness had in the past bought our active wear styles and added his own logos and prints. This up-market private label fashion became known as the Arlen Ness Chopper Couture and we even exported to Europe. Soon other chopper builders caught on and in few years American Eagle, Bad Toys, Gambler, Iron Horse, Titan and Victory motorcycles were on board with upscale leisure wear for their clients made by Chopper Couture. Over time the name was shortened as this clothing line became popular with the mainstream fashion market and in 2005 the official Chopper Couture brand made its debut at the Las Vegas fashion week with the first collection called "Chopper Rock". What kind of design elements are you using that are biker oriented and would the clothes be suitable for wearing out on the road? The tattoo inspired original graphics outlined with studs, flocking and foil represent the edgy "Chopper" style and the premium fabrics used for Chopper Couture embellished with Swarovski components outlining the prints, represents a sophisticated "Couture" element and when you combine the two you get a customized motorcycle inspired fashion aptly named Chopper Couture! The Chopper Couture leisure wear is non-protective and meant for after the ride. However, the luxurious fit and feel of the fabrics make for a great second skin under the leather. Your clothes pull off a pretty impressive mix – they are edgy, ergonomic, and eco friendly all at the same time. Usually when we think about comfortable clothes we don’t think of them as edgy and hip. What fabrics are you using that manage to pull all that off? Whoever invented the bamboo fabric must have been a rider! The bamboo fabric has some amazing qualities that include superior thermal regulating characteristics. Due to the all-natural fiber, its controlled nano-fiber structure moves moisture away from the body, keeping you cool when the temperature is hot and warm when it's cold. Bacteria can't grow on bamboo fabric, so it's like having a built-in deodorant by nature and the bamboo fabric is also hypo-allergenic which is great for those of us who suffers from allergies. Bamboo has better UV protection than any other fabric and best of all it is luxuriously soft with great wicking and drying abilities. The Lyocell used for the Chopper Couture designs derives from wood-pulp and has basically the similar qualities of bamboo but with the added benefit that it drapes the female curves in very flattering ways providing supreme comfort and a stylish fit and look. The premium Lyocell available on the North American market is the Tencel brand, a natural choice for Chopper Couture.
One thing that jumped out at us in reviewing your website was the amount of pesticides that are needed to create just a single t-shirt made of cotton. Can you tell us more about that?
It takes about 1/3 pound of pesticides to produce a conventional cotton t-shirt and about 180 to 300 pounds of chemical fertilizer is used on one acre of cotton in the US! About 90% of the chemical fertilizer washes off the cotton plant ending up in the water supplies and habitat and if we get a large amount of cotton production for textile moved to eco-friendly bamboo and Lyocell we also end up expanding the world's access to organic food supply. That's a good enough reason to switch to bamboo which is the fastest growing plant in the world without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Although we still use some organic cotton, grown without the use of environmentally harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides, we are mindful of the enormous amount of carbon released when cotton decomposes in landfills. Bamboo and Lyocell are on the other hand quickly bio-degradable.
We’re sure the guys out there have a lady friend who would love one of your items as a gift, but do you have any plans for expanding your selection for men? Not a week goes by without requests for a men's line and we are considering a future limited group of black bamboo tees and polos for the guys with edgy graphics but for now we are concentrating on the ladies.
Are your clothes available for purchase on-line or just in boutiques? What kinds of stores are carrying the clothes? Some of our retailers do have Chopper Couture available online which is easy to Google-up but the vast majority are ladies fashion boutiques throughout North America. The stores that carry Chopper Couture range from motorcycle dealerships, Iver's Custom Cycles in Vancouver being one example and select Harley-Davison dealerships as far away as Joint Venture Motorcycles in Ballito, South Africa -- to high-end ladies fashion boutiques in the U.S. and all over the world! Thanks Arlene! Check out her website at http://www.arlenethebikerqueen.com/ 
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