Giordana Cycling has been putting high quality, performance clothing on cyclists since before racing and gran fondos were a “thing” in this country. Their experience and connection to the motherland of cycling, Italy, serves as a beacon in a sea of other custom clothing manufacturers.
Giordana’s history in cycling would fill up an entire article, so here’s the short(er) version. In 1971, Giorgio Andretta, an elite-level cyclist from Italy, moved to the U.S. and established Gita Sporting Goods to serve as the North American distributor for several Italian brands. Thanks to Gita’s efforts, such brands as Pinarello, De Rosa and Diadora are now beloved and trusted among cyclists – and the general public – in the U.S.
As Andretta was promoting Italian quality and style stateside, he noticed a lack of domestic manufacturers or distributors of quality cycling apparel. Giordana Sport – Gita’s clothing business – was named after Andretta’s young daughter and served to fill a need in the growing U.S. market.
Designed and developed for cyclists of all kinds, Giordana quickly found an international following at the top levels of professional racing. Over the years, Giordana has sponsored athletes at all levels including World Tour teams, an Olympic gold medalist, and has been the official clothing supplier of the Tour de France.
According to Kem Newman, Sales Manager for Giordana, one of Andretta’s boldest moves came in 1986 when he opened a dedicated Giordana manufacturing facility in Italy. This pushed Giordana further to the forefront of the cycling apparel industry. The company embraced the new technologies available in the textile industry to become a leader in sublimation printing. Giordana was also at the vanguard of developing and testing new materials and cycling garments for the market and providing custom professional level clothing to local and regional clubs.
An avid cyclist to this day, Andretta is still the driving force behind product development. With a new facility in Italy, Giordana is creating more synergies for all phases of production.This has contributed to streamlining the manufacturing process even further to create the most advanced apparel in the company’s history. Giordana’s dedicated teams in Charlotte, NC, and in Vicenza, Italy, consist of adventurous and unique individuals who share a passion for the outdoors, quality products, and a little friendly competition.
Family is important to Giordana and that’s one reason why they’ve resisted the temptation to move production to Asian factories. But Giordana customers retain the benefits of Italian quality while sacrificing nothing in terms of quick and easy ordering and fulfillment. The company offers unlimited colors, no design fees, low minimums, a kit builder order platform, size sample kits are available, and orders can be produced in as little as 4 weeks with free ground shipping to your doorstep.
In addition to the lower, 5-piece minimums and shorter production time, Giordana has recently introduced a new triathlon apparel line, an accessories “bundle” for easier ordering of individual items, and new mesh caps.
Importantly for the eco-conscious among us, Giordana’s Italian facility exceeds the EU’s requirements for green practices. Excess fabric cuttings and printing paper are recycled, and skylights provide light to reduce electric consumption.
“No expense is spared in doing things the right way– both for our customers and our planet,” says Newman.
For Giordana, the calculus is pretty simple: employees, customers, the cycling community and the entire planet comprise one big family. Why would you do something to harm any member of it?
Speaking of his “families” in both Italy and the U.S., Andretta comments: “Here you have people who have done this all of their lives. They know what they are doing. They care about what they are doing, and they care about the product they put out. That’s what makes this place so special.”
