Paria Collaboration

Collaborations have been a cornerstone of my businesses for over a decade, spanning breweries, bands, artists, and more. Among these, one that stands out is the partnership with Paria.cc, a cycling brand. What made it especially memorable? I can’t ride a bike.

Paria and Abandon Ship shared a lot of similarities in their brand narratives—irreverent, satirical, and fun, with a mutual “we don’t give a fuck” attitude. When Paria approached me for a collaboration, I was intrigued, even if I hadn’t been near a bike since I was a kid.

The concept was simple: I would design an all-over print pattern in my signature style, and they would produce cycling gear using it. We’d then share the results with our combined audiences. I loved creating the artwork, and the final design turned out brilliantly. But the real highlight was the social campaign that followed.

Paria created a really cool photoshoot with a cyclist while I focused on the video content. I leaned into the fact that I couldn’t ride a bike and used it to create a tongue-in-cheek, low-budget video that parodied the usual elegant, aspirational cycling ads. I bought a second-hand cycling machine and a green screen, then shot the campaign in our warehouse. With a fan blowing my hair back and inspirational music swelling in the background, the scene was hilariously over-the-top. The intentionally poor-quality green screen added to the charm, and the video ended with the big reveal of the reality behind the “epic” moment. And the whole shot cost less than £100.

The campaign was a hit, perfectly blending Paria’s cycling world with Abandon Ship’s playful irreverence. It demonstrated how a brand can enter a new space without losing the essence of what makes it unique.

This collaboration showed me the power of authenticity in partnerships. By embracing who I was—a non-cyclist with a knack for self-deprecating humour—I was able to connect with audiences in both worlds while staying true to what made Abandon Ship stand out.