The official presentation of the 2022 Tour de France route this week also saw Santini unveil the leader’s jerseys. In addition to the main jerseys worn by the top male riders at Le Tour, the Italian apparel specialist showcased jerseys for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and L’Étape du Tour de France.
Fergus Niland, Santini’s Creative Director said “The design concept behind the jerseys referenced the ‘Le maillot est le trophée!’ principle, and so we wanted to emphasise the fact that the jersey itself is the prize for the winner.
The Irish designer who has headed Santini Cycling Wear’s development team since 2011 added, “And because of our company’s history, that phrase also indicates just how proud and delighted we are about this new challenge and about being able to make these four iconic jerseys.”
The four Tour de France leader jerseys were designed and made at Santini’s Lallio headquarters just outside Bergamo in Northern Italy. On a technical level, the company notes that they are ‘uniquely sustainable and eco-friendly.’
The front, back and back pocket of the jerseys are all in an ultralight printable fabric made from recycled polyester yarn. Fabric resulting from a recycling process is also used for the raw cut sleeves, while a soft, double-face material was used for the raw cut collar to aid comfort.
“Watching the athletes getting up on the podium on the Champs-Élysées next July wearing our jerseys will definitely be uniquely emotional for the whole Santini team,” said Paola Santini, Marketing Manager at Santini Cycling Wear.
On a design level, while the jerseys retain the signature simplicity that has characterised the jerseys for the four classifications in the Grande Boucle, they also feature subtle key details that make them unique. There is an Arc de Triomphe-inspired silicone gripper as well as tone-on-tone finishing touches specific to each jersey, and a silicone patch embroidered with Henri Desgrange’s famous initials on the Yellow Jersey.
Fergus Niland added “We did some historical research into each of the jerseys so that we could create a story as a reminder of their epic significance, not just to the pro cyclists that will wear them but also to the fans who will want to have a replica of their own.”
The same attention to materials details have been incorporated into the jerseys for the winners of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and the amateur L’Étape du Tour de France.
www.santinicycling.com/tour-de-france
