Passions Collide || Drei Pedale fuses fashion and car culture
I received my first Ferrari t-shirt in 2005 when I was in fifth grade. My Dad and I had driven down to Indianapolis with his friends for the US Grand Prix and I didn’t know it at the time, but my first race would be one of the most infamous in motorsports history. As my luck would have it, that was the year that a tire controversy meant that only the 6 cars using Bridgestone tires would race out of the field of 20. Chaos ensued, beer cans flew, and the riot police showed up but we still had a good time and Michael Schumacher won the race.
Me Circa 2005 in Indianapolis. Ferrari Hat Guy has been doing his thing for a while!
I wore that shirt as much as I could until it was frayed and filled with holes. It didn’t matter if I was playing outside with friends or at a family dinner, anything was a Ferrari shirt occasion. Unfortunately, as I grew older, it became less acceptable to wear my favorite graphic tees out to functions, societal pressures and trends being what they are. My mother would have contested that I ever stopped doing this but for the sake of this story, my automotive attire took a back seat.
Fast forward to 2024 and we are in the middle of a giant wave of popularity for graphic tees, vintage designs and most importantly, quality garments. Drei Pedale has positioned itself on the crest of this wave, releasing incredible automotive themed t-shirts since 2022. German for “Three Pedals”, the brand is the creation of Peyton Carvell who is most definitely an automotive enthusiast. One look at his Instagram and tik-tok will vouch for this. His ability to curate automotive memorabilia and incorporate it into his office décor is truly impressive and is worth a follow. He is an inspiring example of someone who decided it was time to combine his interests and take a leap of faith.
Now on its 18th capsule, the brand has centered around heavyweight cotton tees, each with its own nod to a beloved automotive brand. I first saw it on Instagram in 2022 when GP 1. was about to be released. This capsule centered around vintage Formula One and I was able to pickup a shirt that featured an amazing image of Nigel Mansell’s Renault with a thorough explanation of the FW14B.
Since this first release, collections have gone on to include beloved brands like BMW, Porsche, Mercedes and Land Rover as well as tributes to legendary racing liveries from the likes of Marlboro, Camel and the John Player Special. Time after time, the designs are hugely impressive and I’m convinced that you can’t go wrong in picking one. I’ve purchased five so far, so the car clothing has most definitely returned to my life.
GP. 17 released this past November and is my personal favourite collection to date. This collection centered around Michael Schumacher. In case you live under a rock, Michael Schumacher is without a doubt one of the most successful and iconic Formula One drivers that has ever lived and these designs celebrate that. This just felt like the perfect call back to that first race where I didn’t get the complete F1 experience but at least I was able to see my favourite driver win.
The first design I had to have featured the F2004 as its just such an iconic and successful example of what Ferrari was (is?) capable of in F1. If you’re a fellow Tifosi you will sympathize that as of late, cheering on the prancing horse has been anything but easy. Maybe 2024 will be the year? The second shirt features Michael and his iconic podium jump. This picture means so much as it captures him at his absolute best. You may know that he suffered a terrible skiing accident in 2013 and he has been receiving medical treatment since. This image celebrates everything he was able to achieve in his career and captures the giant that he was in the motorsports world.
The passion that Peyton has for his work comes through very clearly in his products and his content. Its refreshing to see someone chase their goals and dreams and create something without the sole purpose of making a quick dollar. After opening up these shirts, I was filled with just as much excitement as I had back in Indianapolis all those years ago .I would strongly encourage you to check out Drei Pedale for yourself and pickup something in the next monthly drop. I’m looking forward to seeing what corner of car culture gets explored next.
Carlo
Instagram: @dreipedale
Tik Tok: @peytoncarvell