By Chelsea Cox

Dayle Wilnechenko uses apparel design to explore the world around her. The apparel industry’s complex web affects the individuals who wear clothing, the environmental state, and the global economy. Dayle’s interests reach far beyond the design of a single garment, and lie in the global implications apparel has on the world.

Road Riot is a Dayle’s graduate collection of armored cycling apparel for female commuters. With integrated impact protection, abrasion resistance, and increased visibility, Road Riot intends on making cyclists’ journeys to work safer.

Road Riot will be unveiled at the 2019 The Show on April 18 at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s (KPU) newly opened Wilson School of Design building in Richmond. The beautiful and innovative $36-million building houses a range of design programs including the fashion-design-and-technology program.

Event details and tickets can be found online.

Chelsea Cox: What was the inspiration behind your line?

Dayle Wilnechenko: Having grown up in a family of motorcyclists, I was always very familiar with protective gear. Armored motorcycle suits are the only protection that riders have between their lives and the road. I questioned why there are no desirable protective options for road cyclists. Through Road Riot, I introduced motorcycle-protection technology into the cycling apparel marketplace.

CC: What is the most helpful thing you learned at KPU?

DW: The most valuable skill I attribute to KPU, is the power of design communication. Everyone has the capacity for creative thinking, however, the Wilson School of Design has given me the tools to share and validate my design decisions.

CC: Describe your education journey.

DW: I’d like to think my educational journey is ongoing and will be for the rest of my career. KPU has provided me with an extremely solid foundation of the apparel industry’s inner workings. I look forward to building on this foundation.

CC: What word best describes you as a designer?

DW: Ambitious. I set high expectations for my work. Even if unachievable, I learn more about how to reach my goals for next time.