We always like to hear about our sisters in cycling making waves in the industry so we were excited when we discovered Alex Feechan of FINDRA had tied up a deal with Europe’s largest cycling retailer.

Feechan created FINDRA when she went looking for women’s mountain biking kit and found what was on offer to be wholly disappointing. She launched her brand in 2014 and it made its debut with Wiggle yesterday.

Describing the disappointment that led her to create the brand, Feechan explains: “I felt that the products available suffered form the ‘shrink it and pink it’ approach. I found this patronising and felt truly inspired to create something that was specific to women and which allowed them to look good, feel good and perform to the best of their abilities whilst participating in outdoor sports.”

FINDRA clothing is made using high quality Italian sports merino wool – and the kit is designed to be durable, practical and with natural wicking. Made in Scotland, they use seamless knitting technology for blissful comfort and a glove-like-fit.

The initial soft launch for FINDRA was in December 2014 – but it turned out it was hardly required – Feechan explains: “It quickly became clear that this was no soft launch – the response to the brand, our ethos and our beautiful product range was so positive and so well received that I knew this was it… there was no time or need for a dress rehearsal!”

If you’re a budding designer looking for advice, Feechan puts her success down to research – saying: “The 9 to 12 months of thorough market research prior to launch had allowed me to fully understand my customer and what they wanted from cycling clothing. The customer is key and lies at the heart of FINDRA and our success – listening observing and understanding their needs combined with good design are core elements of our brand. And I truly believe this is reason the brand has grown so quickly.”

Being on sale with Wiggle opens the brand up to a global audience, and will help Feechan reach new audiences – an expansion, which makes its founder “delighted”.

There’s more planned, of course – Feechan told us: “FINDRA will continue to grow from strength to strength- we are looking to expand the product offering next year.”

Check out the full range here, and what’s on offer with Wiggle here.