Giacomo Agostini’s suit

Agostini is Number 1, an unquestioned talent of the highest order, the best of all. No other motorcycle rider ever won as much. When Lino Dainese first contacted him in 1975, Ago was in the process of winning his 15th world title, his second in the saddle of a Yamaha.

Giacomo Agostini is the first, and was also the first to accept the idea that the suit is not a second skin but a safety shield onto which Dainese literally stitches protection, wearability, and elegance in movement.

Ago is a demanding man, accustomed to getting only the best; working with him isn’t easy. His first suit, white and red, with streaks of the colours of the rainbow forming an arrow on his chest, was made by Lino Dainese himself. Agostini was also capable of going against the current: up ‘til then, riders were obsessed with light weight. The great Tarquinio Provini even used to perforate the running boards in order to eliminate 20 grams or less from his Morini. Provini was a leader and this was the approach in vogue at the time. Giacomo was the first racer to accept the principle that you can’t get more safety with less weight so his suit necessarily weighed a little more, but it was also more ergonomic. Giacomo was famous for his clean riding style and elegant position in the saddle and had no intention of changing this. He insisted on getting a suit that was even tighter fitting without losing any freedom of movement. Thirty years later, Giacomo Agostini is still wearing the Dainese suit that he helped improve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Before I met Lino Dainese, I thought that suits had to be as thin as second skin. Everybody else did, too. Then I understood that suits could offer the same protection at no expense to the elegance of the fit."

Giacomo Agostini