GironaThe bicycle phenomenon in Girona has many faces. Far from the tremendist assessment to which the emergence of a disruptive fashion leads us, the face of someone like Lina Kaial appears. This Damascene from Girona has found in the bicycle an opportunity to project the way of doing and being of Girona and Catalonia, far beyond the border corsets. Graduated in tourism and public relations at the University of Damascus, this Syrian who has spent more years in Girona than in her hometown has made sport and sportswear a vocation. For years he has been dedicated, from Girona, to the creation of sports clothing. And for a few years now, specifically, in sportswear designed for those who ride bicycles. This vocation, closely linked to her vital and courageous personality, led her to find an indispensable partner in Dubai, Hind, a Lebanese who, like her, left Syria to seek new horizons. The two left when leaving Syria was not a matter of war survival but a choice of personal growth. Each from their host space, they have managed to make their brand, Suwmus, a benchmark in the competitive world of specialized sportswear. They face international brands that, unlike their own, manufacture in places where labor exploitation is the order of the day.
Invented and manufactured as close as possible
Lina decided that everything she invented, manufactured and designed had to be done in Girona, or as close as possible. Faithful to this principle, he took advantage of the fact that in the cycling world the Girona brand is quite a benchmark. As she explains, in Dubai, where she has her second headquarters, she is known as “La Girona”. What is the key to success? Loyalty to three principles: optimism, generosity and innovation. Optimism when thinking that everything is possible from Girona – that’s why this Girona Damascene has closed a collaboration agreement with professional teams from Dubai, a country that has opted for cycling as its national sport -; the generosity, to decide that all the production, in its entirety, is done in Catalonia; and innovation, knowing that the details make the difference. These details have caused the big brands to focus on their innovative bets.
Lina Kaial knows she still has a long way to go. Competition is fierce, especially when you break the barrier of strictly local consumption. But she imagines an open, welcoming, easy Girona, a lover of universal culture and innovation, as one of the great effects of the city and territory’s commitment to cycling. She will be there.
