Our friend, Munich-based designer Adam Bell, has designed a special collaboration cap just for SimWorks!
SimWorks USA reached out to him for a Q&A. In this piece, we’ll dive into the meaning behind the cap, as well as how he met SimWorks and the history of our relationship. Adam is a passionate cyclist who has designed and produced many cycling caps over the years. We are thrilled to add a SimWorks-branded cap to his incredible lineup of headwear.
SimWorks (S): Hi, Adam. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. Let's get right into it! First off, why did you decide to use a frog for the SimWorks cap design?
When you look up the frog as a design symbol on the internet, it carries many positive meanings, such as "abundance, prosperity, good luck, joy, success, and magic." To me, these aren't just abstract ideas; they are things I’ve genuinely felt. Finding a tiny frog the size of my thumb in the garden makes me happy, and whenever I walk by the pond, I hear the big frogs "singing," which makes me stop and listen for a few minutes. The inspiration for this frog design comes from the fairy tale "The Frog Prince." In the story, a princess drops her golden ball into a well while playing in the park, and a frog (who is actually a prince cursed by an evil witch) retrieves it, eventually returning to his true form. In the original fairy tale, the frog is returned to his form in a rather brutal way—by being thrown against a wall—but the version we know better and find more romantic is the one where he is returned after being kissed 😉
The positive and romantic frog became the centerpiece of the design, wearing the SimWorks "SW tattoo" on its hand, a heart and arrow 💘, and the symbol for SimWorks’ good vibes: "Good Feeling." At the suggestion of SimWorks, the ball the frog is holding was turned into a globe. To me, this is a very striking image; it looks like this positive, peaceful, and love-filled frog is embracing the world! When you flip up the visor, you'll find a crown, representing the prince, princess, and king from the fairy tale. It’s something everyone has inside them. Time to feel a little bit like royalty!
S: Tell us about how you chose the colors for the SimWorks cap.
Choosing the colors was at least half easy. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to use SimWorks’ iconic Homage Green! Finding a contrasting color to match was a bit harder, but I found that a vibrant, lively blue was just right. It’s quite different from the colors I’ve used in previous designs. The blue on this cap is very subtle—you might not even notice it until the light dims—but the green-blue contains a special additive that makes it sparkle! We ordered this magical ingredient specially for this project! Usually, the minimum order for this additive is 30kg, so once we run out of this special sparkle effect material, this cap may no longer be in production…
S: And lastly, tell us about your relationship with SimWorks.
My relationship with SimWorks has reached its 10th anniversary! When I first published my illustrated bicycle dictionary back in 2014, I was lucky enough to meet SimWorks as my distributor in Japan. That encounter led to my first trip to Japan in 2015. SimWorks, Circles, Daisy Messenger, and the Nagoya cycling community welcomed me warmly, and I made some wonderful friends there. Every time I visit Japan, I always make sure to return to Nagoya. I was also lucky enough to meet Rie twice. The first time was when she was still living in Nagoya, and the second was when she visited me for a few days after she moved to Portland to start SimWorks USA. Meeting in person is so important—it changes the quality of a friendship. That is what my relationship with SimWorks means to me!
ADAM BELL’S WORKS Cycling Cap – Sim Frog
Material : 65% Polyester, 35% Cotton
Made in Apis, Italy
Price: 4,860 yen (tax included)
