Santini switches to making face masks. “The goal is to save lives.”

Santini began producing protective masks to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week Santini Cycling Wear announced a pivot from manufacturing cycling wear to producing much-needed face masks to aid the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.  On Thursday, March 26,  Santini, located near Bergamo, one of the worst-hit areas of Covid-19 in Italy, rolled out its first protective masks.

“We are now ready to produce face masks that satisfy the new Italian decree requirements, and we are now also working on a new prototype according to all the medical/surgical requirements. Our aim is to help the local hospitals and doctors,” explained Paola Santini, marketing director of Santini Cycling Wear.

Santini Cycling Wear, the official apparel partner of Trek-Segafredo since 2018, has dressed cyclists in technological fabrics for over half a century.  At the start of the year, Santini put forth an initiative prioritizing environment sustainability by using recycled materials in the 2020 Trek-Segafredo kit. Now the Italian apparel maker has again taken on a leadership role in the industry. With the coronavirus rapidly spreading across Italy and the world, they knew they had the resources to help.

“From the beginning, we asked ourselves as entrepreneurs what we could do, given the need,” continued Santini. “We contacted another company from Bergamo, Sitip, which supplies the waterproof and breathable fabric we use for our products, and we made a prototype.”

Time is critical in the face of a rapidly spreading pandemic. Santini worked quickly to convert its company from crafting jerseys and bib shorts to creating much-needed face masks, a shortage felt across the globe.

“We are ready to produce 10,000 per day. We are receiving many requests, but the priority will be our hometown of Bergamo and its province because we can see the difficulties of our hospitals and all the people working here,” added Santini.

I think the initiative that Santini took is a brave and heartfelt one. I felt proud when I read the news that Santini would start the production of masks.

Trek-Segafredo rider Elisa Longo Borghini, at home in Italy and unable to train outdoors under the country-wide lockdown, responded with praise for Santini:

“I think the initiative that Santini took is a brave and heartfelt one. I felt proud when I read the news that Santini would start the production of masks. Santini is showing respect and solidarity to our country. It means much more than singing on balconies or writing that everything will go well. We need more examples like Santini’s, and we, simple citizens, need to do our duty: staying at home for protecting each other and protecting our beautiful Italy.”

With the protective masks in production, Santini is now hard at work to create a mask certified for hospital use.