Alpinestars HQ Visit — Leah Tokelove

There are very few ‘pinch yourself’ moments in life, moments so crazy unreal that you’d not even dreamt them up because well… they’re just pipe dreams. I had one such moment very recently when I found myself sat at the reception of Alpinestars HQ in Asolo, Italy. Like THE Alpinestars, the brand I had always chosen to buy since day one of racing.

So, sitting down in reception my little mind was wondering. Thoughts buzzing all over the place, how had I managed this! What was in store for me this morning? I wonder what they will think of me… I hope I hadn’t wildly oversold myself in my home-made portfolio… And breath.

It’s all very awe-inspiring, from the moment you arrive at the HQ. The car park is full of cherry red vehicles with the iconic Alpinestars logo sprawled across them, the reception area is inviting, again with the logo accompanied by a very lovely receptionist. Marquez’s ‘big six’ leathers hang on a mannequin in the corner, with Gabriele’s (Alpinestars owner) very own Honda RC213V-S sitting proudly on display- pretty crazy right? And you wonder why I’m starting to feel out of place.

We were then greeted by Will, the athlete relations manager- the guy who was making all of this happen. So very friendly and interested, he started our visit by giving us a tour of the HQ. Essentially it was a building full of offices and meeting rooms but with the brands own twist. On the walls were proud images of absolute legends, motorcycles dotted about in various hallways, logos and ‘Alpinestars protects champions’- a list of all the 2018 champs the brand supported. However, tucked away in the building were two significant points of interest. Firstly, was the ‘casualwear’ release room. A room full to the brim of the very latest season of Alpinestars casual wear, neatly hanging in a well laid out room- the place where athletes would come and choose out what they liked the look of. I could have spent a lot longer browsing this section, but that’s because I didn’t know what was coming next…

The next room, well, you know the age-old expression ‘like a kid in a candy store’- I was that kid and one with a very hearty appetite to say the least. Similar to the casualwear room but this time it was all about the gear. You walk into the room to be greeted by 2019’s range of products. Hanging there are more leather race suits than I even knew were in the range. Next to that a motorcyclist’s version of Harrods shoe section, every single Alpinestars boot you could imagine from Tech 7 to the urban booty- it was all there, in every colour of the rainbow. Alongside the shoes were the gloves, enough gloves to kit out all the snowmen that could be built in my village. Going to the other side of the room now and there were sections for touring, women specific, urban and motocross. I just didn’t realise the extent of the product range that Alpinestars created. Another nice touch by the brand was more photos dotted near the products of athletes wearing items from the range. Maybe I’m old-fashioned in some respects but I really like buying moto related gear from a shop not online, because I like to see it, feel it and compare it to other products- not just gawp at it virtually. So being able to look at all the different types of protection Alpinestars offer, feel the weight of the boots and actually see colours in the flesh was a dream. The whole room was nothing like I’d ever really seen before, to have the opportunity to just take it all in was good enough for me and that I did.

Could it have got much better? No, I didn’t think so. After hanging out in the new release room for a while, chatting about what was taking our fancy we headed out. I thought that was the tour over if I’m honest and I was stoked at what we’d seen. We started to walk back to the car park and next thing I knew we were ushered towards one of the branded vans- was this a kidnapping? I didn’t mind either way. Much to my delight it turned out that we were being driven to the factory where all of the custom suits were designed and manufactured- which was about five minutes from HQ.

Walking into the building and seeing a giant R&D sign, you know that you are in for something really quite special. Now this is the part of the little trip that really took me by surprise- before I knew it I was ushered into a changing room where fresh under clothes were waiting for me- I was to be measured up for a race suit. Within the small room I’d already clocked the infamous motorcycle styled horse which all the athletes perched upon when in their suits, to make sure they fitted perfectly- hopefully I’d get my turn on that bad boy. The staff, all dressed in lab coats couldn’t have been more attentive and interested, just think about all of the racing legends they’ve met in their time. All dressed up in my underclothes I appeared out of the changing room and was meticulously measured, every width, length and part of my body was noted down into my file. I did feel a bit like a lemon stood there if I’m honest, I hate being weighed or measured, let alone it being done so thoroughly- but it would all be worth it when I slipped on my leathers and they would be just right. My time to shine came when I swung a leg over the bike, now I really felt like a motorcycle racer getting a new suit. I savoured that moment, being in the changing room at Alpinestars, getting all measured up. It really was a moment I never thought I’d experience.

After I got measured up we were then treated to a tour of where all the custom race suits were hand crafted. Seeing the craftsmanship that goes into these suits was unreal, I have a lot of respect for people who can make such things- I’m awful at anything that requires a lot of patience and co-ordination, textiles at school really wasn’t for me. But walking around and seeing them work on each individual piece, particularly the gloves was mesmerising. They were working so quickly, but clearly not compromising the quality of the products. It was very surreal to see GP riders suits just hanging there, nearly finished- some were so tiny. My favourite part though (without sounding weird) was all of the boot moulds piled up, each with an absolute legends name etched onto the side- much fancier than Louboutin’s. Imagine having a pair of boots made to fit!

After our tour Will very kindly wanted to take us all to Lunch but we had a plane to catch. So, it was time to say goodbye to the dream factory. A week or so on and I’m now very excitedly waiting at home for my box of goodies to turn up. Then at a later date my tricked-up suit! I will have never looked so good on track and I can’t thank Alpinestars enough for this support. Like I said, a real pinch yourself moment. Let’s just hope that I can make it all look fast- this whole experience really is beyond my wildest dreams.

Photos thanks to Alex Coffey.