Our Designer
Like many women in the U.S., I used to be terrified to bicycle in the city. After overcoming my own fear, I fell in love with transportation cycling and founded Vespertine NYC to keep people safe and inspire more women to use bicycles to get around, for their own health, for the health of their communities, and of the planet.
I used to think biking in cities was too scary, too dangerous, insane, actually. In the late aughts, I was working in film in Paris when the first Velib' bike share stations popped up. I finally mustered the courage to give it a try. The fun of discovering a world just for cyclists- bike lanes, bicycle traffic lights, bridges, the speed and ease of getting around town, of avoiding subway delays and traffic jams, the intimate experience of the city, the pure joy of coasting on two wheels, I hadn't anticipated any of these. I was hooked, and my fear tempered (although not entirely eradicated).
One dark November afternoon, shortly after my love affair with two-wheels began, I swapped out the bright Custo of Barcelona jacket I'd been riding in for a black coat. My new attire led to a revelation, and a close call with a Parisian bus! On my bike, I was part of traffic and traffic tends to avoid crashing into itself. The biggest danger it seemed to me, one of the smallest members of "traffic", was that other drivers might not see me. I wore a helmet, but I felt that wearing something that made me very visible, could help me to be, and feel, much safer. (Huzzah! An actionable solution to my fears.)
I searched for something to wear over my black coat but only found the typical crossing guard vest. I wasn't directing traffic, I was traffic, and Parisian traffic, no less. I wanted clothes that could make me stand out in a good way, like my Custo coat, that could integrate with or even enhance, my wardrobe and my biking lifestyle, too. I didn't want to compromise on safety or style.
Ultimately, I was so moved by this vision of safety wear as beautiful, stylish clothes you want to wear, as well as my desire to empower others, especially women, to take their daily adventures by bike, that I founded Vespertine NYC, Haute Réflecture.
As we navigate life with Covid, more people than ever are turning to bikes for transportation, or would like to. To learn how you, too, can "Conquer Fear and Learn to Love City Biking," check out my free guide, available for download here !
Thank you for visiting & always #MakeASeen,
Sarah Canner, Founder/Designer, Haute Réflecture® by Vespertine® NYC
About Canner: Passionate about cycling, design, safety, and the planet, Canner now lives and works in Brooklyn, NY with her partner, film-maker Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, and their young daughter. She produces her reflective fashion collection in NY.