It's spring. After a series of team-building sessions in which Maglificio Santini employees were taught various techniques to increase cohesion and interaction, The call to the meeting room didn't seem strange to anyone.It seems to be the final event, so they all arrive one by one and go sit on the chairs, waiting for the intervention of the mental coach on duty. No one can imagine what is about to happen.
The first announcement says they must prepare for a great challenge. Then a video starts, ending with an image of a yellow jersey. And another announcement: "We will wear the yellow jersey of the Tour for the next five years.".
At Santini they find out like this. Then the doors to the showroom open and on the tables set up for a buffet, bottles of sparkling wine and strictly yellow cream puffs celebrate the milestone achieved.
The strength of people
"Winning the yellow jersey," explains Monica Santini, CEO of the Lallio-based company, "is the victory of a philosophy. That of thinking that even today it is possible to design, develop and produce extremely innovative cycling clothing in ItalyThis is what sets us apart from other brands: our passion, our 100% cycling DNA, which we infuse into our products. Because our strength is our people."
Marketing at full throttle
The offices on the upper floor are abuzz. Creatives at the computer, salespeople at the center of a barrage of phone callsThey're calling from Gazzetta dello Sport, and L'Equipe is also queuing up. We observe the headquarters on the eve of the Tour presentation.
Stefano Devicenzi from marketing talks about it. The Santini family is sprinting in Paris because in addition to the routes, the new yellow jersey will also be revealed, became Italian after the Le Coq Sportif years. A barely kept secret, which lasted until about ten days ago, when from source Aso The news started to spread. Inside the company, outside, from the day of the cream puffs a confidentiality agreement was signed which has held up commendably.
An absolute symbol
Noi siamo came exclusively to the Lallio headquarters to show how the most beautiful trophy in world cycling is created. Have you noticed that on the podium in Paris the winner is given a small trophy, but that Is the yellow jersey the true symbol, by ASO's explicit wish?
«The jersey is the trophy, you can read it on the inside of its back – it's a symbol you hold in your hands. No other jersey in the world of sport carries such a rich history as the Yellow Jersey.This is not only the symbol of victory, but also of the history and culture of a nation and of a sport that only a few exceptional champions have deserved to wearWe can proudly say that this jersey was entirely handcrafted in our family business in Bergamo, Italy, where we have been celebrating our passion for cycling since 1965. Congratulations. This trophy is yours.
Immediately below, at the end of the run in the name space, the one of the winner of the 2022 Tour de France will be printed. An exclusive and personalized item.
The plotter prints the design on special paper, from which the color and logos will pass onto the fabric The white fabric is applied to the colored print, onto which the color will be transferred with heat.
The plotter prints the design on special paper, from which the color and logos will pass onto the fabric The white fabric is applied to the colored print, onto which the color will be transferred with heat.
The jersey is born
The process of producing the shirt is very simple, but it is not easy at all. The graphics department developed the design on the computer, sending various solutions to France for final approval.All the classification jerseys for the Tour and the Tour Femmes, in addition to all those of the Aso races, from Paris-Nice onwards.
From the graphics department's computer, the file is shared with colleagues who will print it on the plotter: A huge printer that transfers colors and text onto paper. It takes about a couple of minutes to print a single shirt.
The roll of paper on which the shirt is printed is then taken to production and The white pieces of fabric are placed on the drawing, shaped according to the part of the shirt they refer to. Front, back, collar, sleeves, sides. The double layer of paper and fabric is then inserted into a thermal machine which proceeds with sublimation printing.The temperature inside the roller causes the color and writing to transfer from the paper to the fabric, which, thanks to the color, expands its fibers and absorbs everything. In this way, when it comes out of the machine you already have all the parts that make up the shirt ready.
Those yellow rubber bands
Each of them derives from different fabrics based on the required characteristics, in terms of elasticity, fit, and breathability. The base fabric is recycled, as is the majority of Santini's products. Every detail is yellow, from the zip to the elastic at the bottom of the shirt.
And speaking of rubber bands, the ones at the bottom of the sleeves have a singular shape: the shape of the Arc de Triomphe. The only detail that isn't yellow is the Santini logo on the back, which will certainly increase visibility for the brand. Also note that the initials of Henri Desgrange, usually… pinned on the shirt as if with a pen stroke, are now on a sort of sealing wax on the bottom left of the shirt.
The initials of Henri Desgrange are in relief, like a seal Inside the jersey, a text celebrates its uniqueness: this is the true trophy of the Tour The elastic bands inside the sleeve are yellow and shaped like… Arc de Triomphe
The initials of Henri Desgrange are in relief, like a seal Inside the jersey, a text celebrates its uniqueness: this is the true trophy of the Tour The elastic bands inside the sleeve are yellow and shaped like… Arc de Triomphe
The missing yellow
«The Tour – says Monica Santini proudly – has always been A dream that has been going on in the company since I was a child. My father always saw the Tour as THE race that was still missing from our list of achievements., since we have been doing the Giro d'Italia for many years and the world championships since 1988. It was a journey that began when we signed sponsorship of the Vuelta, which is part of the competitions organized by the ASO. We started to demonstrate that we could be a reliable and proactive partnerAfter the Vuelta came the Deutschland Tour. And when the negotiation phase for the contract renewal opened, we made ourselves available and we managed to close».
The offices are emptying, the big day is about to arrive. The yellow jersey will speak Italian for the next five yearsOne way or another, we'll get on the podium in Paris...
