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Jeff Banks, who was the official tailor of the London 2012 Olympic Games Bid Committee, has now been made official tailor of Yorkshire’s Grand Départ.
The designer measured up the Leeds-based team at the Welcome to Yorkshire offices for a uniform that draws on aspects of his current collections, with a unique twist to commemorate the Tour.
Jeff – a keen cyclist and follower of the Tour de France himself – has strong links to Leeds and Yorkshire, with the Jeff Banks London brand part of the Baird Group whose offices are on Granary Wharf. Jeff formed a corporation between Baird and his uniform clothing company Incorporatewear to make all this happen.
Jeff Banks said: “It’s a great privilege to be a part of this momentous event. It is not every year that the world’s biggest cycle race comes to Yorkshire, so I’m delighted that Gary and his team at Welcome to Yorkshire have allowed me to be a part of what will be an amazing spectacle.
“I’ve taken inspiration from many aspects of the Tour, such as the yellow jersey. Yellow is the real colour of the Tour de France, and I think the uniform sums up English heritage but with a contemporary attitude.
“I think the French think Englishmen don’t how to dress, so I thought it’d be great to show them a thing or two!”
Gary Verity, Chief Executive at Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “It is incredibly exciting to have someone of the calibre of Jeff Banks designing the official uniform for the team here at Welcome to Yorkshire.
“It’s a wonderfully kind gesture, and we will all wear the uniform with pride when the Tour arrives in July.”
The Grand Départ of the Tour de France takes place in Yorkshire on the weekend of July 5 and 6. The first stage races from Leeds to Harrogate via the Yorkshire Dales and the second stage race from York to Sheffield. A third stage takes place on the July 7, racing from Cambridge to London.
For more information on Yorkshire’s Grand Départ, go to http://www.letouryorkshire.com
