BERGAMO – How big is the transition from fashion to sport? Raffaella Marini, a model maker from Lecco who has been working at the Santini Knitwear Factory, he learned to measure itCycling hardly knew what it was, but in the space of a few years it found itself thrown into lycra, chamois, graphics and cuts halfway between champions and everyday cyclists, who need to be high-performance, but also elegant and comfortable.
These days, “Rafi” is preparing for the journey to Tour de France with her friend Rosita Zanchi e Monica Santini, to adapt the time trial body to the shoulders and legs of the various leadersThe time trial will be held on Tuesday, the day after the second rest day, from Passy to Combloux: 22,4 kilometers with an uphill finish. What better time to talk about what a modeler does in cycling today?
«We are ready for the time trial – she smiles – one of the few truly artisanal activities left in my profession, because everything else goes through the computerYou have to take your leotard, put it on, and look at every detail. The width of the neck, the sleeve, the shoulders, the chest, the waist. We work as a team. I do the first part and check where to touch up or modify the model worn. At that point Rosita steps in for the sewing part.Luckily, it's never a matter of upheavals. Last year, Vingegaard wore one of our XSs for the first time, and it seemed built for him. Van Aert has a completely different build, due to his height and fairly narrow shoulders, so we made him wear a larger size and then we worked on the shoulders and back."
What comes before the athlete wearing the leotard?
The most tiring part of development, the attention to detail, the customization, even if it is satisfying to see them run afterwards. Nobody knows who Raffaella Marino is, but I look at them and I'm proud if the leaders' leotards or jerseys fit well.For example, shirts need to be adaptable to everyone, because you never know who they'll fit, and they certainly can't fly around. That's a whole other story. if we talk about the Lidl Trek, because in that case the work is much more detailed and personalized.
The time trial suit is also a great concentration of technology…
The choice of materials is not random or aestheticWe know that one fabric is used for the sleeves, another for the back, and this is a part that is done as a group. Let's start from the supplier's technical data sheet, looking at the characteristics of the fabricIf it tells us it's breathable, there's no point in putting it on our wrist, for example.
Does having already dressed Vingegaard, Pogacar and Van Aert in 2022 help this year?
When I saw Vingegaard live, I was perplexed: he looked like a child. Instead, the technical characteristics of the fabric meant that the bodysuit fit him perfectly.. Having said that and also speaking about the others, whether the leotards will still be good will depend on their physique, on how much have they changed in the meantime, if they have lost weight, for exampleBut we certainly have a good starting point.
This year you will also go to Tour Femmes?
Yes, we will be there. The time trial bodysuit must fit the athlete like a second skin, it would not be the same to try it on a standard person or on a mannequin. For this we will go to Tour Femmes e We will give the girls the same attention.
Do Lidl-Trek athletes dress as tailored as their male colleagues?
We are on the same page, because for example A size S can be worn by a girl who is 1,60 m tall and a girl who is 1,75 m tallSo the bottom part gets longer or shorter, as well as the length of the sleeves and the width of the shoulders. The final image of the shirt is that, however. It is adapted according to the measurements of the individual athletes.
Did the switch from Trek-Segafredo to Lidl-Trek simply require reprinting the jerseys or did something change?
The shapes of the athletes are always the same, even the models of the various garments, but we had to focus on sponsor positioning, which changed completely. This is also part of my job.
Let's talk about women again: the time when girls were forced to dress like men seems far away, right?
There has certainly been increased attention. We are working on a more women-friendly fit, so the shirts are more fitted and tight, from the shoulders to the waist, passing through the length. Now they have lines just for them, which they do not derive from the male ones, but are developed from scratch.
Nothing in common?
Apart from the same materials and technical details, everything changes. I'm talking about the design of the garments and the seat pad, which must be specific and which we have been using for years in our collections and also in custom lines. As a rule, Prototypes are made internally, which are then tested by professional athletes, before they can be used to go into competition or on the market.
Does what is given to professionals also end up in the catalog?
There are items that pass into the collection and others so particular that it would make no sense to put them up for sale. In this there is a parallel with men.
How did the women's line come about?
There is a study of colors and materials that is carried out well in advance. We work on the collections a year in advanceFor example, we recently presented the 2024 collection, but it had been defined at the end of 2022, with all the internal work to study graphics, colors and materials.
Is it easier to dress men or women?
Perhaps for the fashion part, women are more attentive. But If we're talking about attention to detail and wanting to dot the i's, then the man is more difficult to manage.Not for technical reasons, mind you, but more for aesthetic reasons: as if he were a groom (laughs, ed.).
Is there much development in cycling?
With every collection you discover something new. The research into fabrics and materials is increasingly cutting edge compared to classic outdoor clothingIf anything, it's more difficult to break away from certain aesthetic canons. This is also true in our latest collections, solid color still exists, because they ask for it and it must be maintained. But new colors and graphics were introduced. In short, I made women's clothing for the outside, but I had to revolutionize all the starting canons of modeling. Cycling is a world of its own.
