Take this, Portland. You may have (just a few) more commuters on two wheels than the Twin Cities does, but we are decidedly more fashionable while biking around town. That’s if local design duo Becca Jane Koehler and Bonnie Vig of 2709 Designs have anything to do with it.

Koehler and Vig, both bedding designers at Target, paired up a year ago for a work project. That collaboration turned out to be more successful than they could have imagined. They soon became roommates—2709 is their street address—and then design partners for their first collection of bike fashion, shown at this year’s Voltage fashion show, Minnesota Fashion Week’s rock n’ roll take on Bryant Park.

Vig, who studied fashion design at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Koehler, a 2005 furniture design grad from Savannah College of Art and Design, joined fashionable forces to bridge the gap between cycling and work attire. Through their close living quarters, Koehler inspired Vig to bike and Vig inspired Koehler to design. “I don’t think the collection would have happened if we didn’t move in together,” says Koehler.

“It’s a line of women’s clothing suitable to wear riding on your bike and also for work,” says Koehler. Think jackets with good ventilation, skirts that don’t restrict your movements, stretchy woven fabrics and breathable natural fibers. No more torn pant legs either: pants with different cuffs allow you to roll them out of your greasy bike chain’s way. Don’t expect to see button-up tops and restrictive pencil skirts from 2709 Designs anytime soon; instead jersey dresses and airy knit tops provide “more functionality than the everyday work clothing,” according to Koehler.

Take your two wheels to Design Collective in Uptown to shop for 2709 Designs pieces. For a sneak peak, check out a couple pieces from their .
(Left to Right) Crop pant ($98) with zip-up top ($78); Pocketed cardigan ($78); Pleated dress ($98)