In 1963, a leather craftsman by the name of Sante Mazzarolo brought forth a future icon. Based in the small Northern Italy town of Asolo and with the perennial Alpine star flower as its namesake, Mr. Mazzarolo began producing the first products bearing the Alpinestars moniker. At that time a new sport called motocross was establishing itself and becoming quite popular across Europe. Very much aware of the sport, Sante realized an opportunity to apply his talents and technical acumen to design a new type of footwear that would meet the protective needs and demands of this beautiful yet brutal form of athleticism. The revolutionary boot that Mr. Mazzarolo produced would become an archetype for motocross protection.
Shortly after establishing the company in its state-of-the-art headquarters in Maser, northern Italy, Sante began working on a new, revolutionary boot for local enduro and motocross riders who had started importing bikes from overseas and establishing the sport of off-road motorcycle racing. Sante’s boot immediately became the industry leader and a benchmark for racing performance. Development started from the moment the first boot was produced, with the help of feedback from the riders, and by the early 1970s, Roger de Coster had brought Alpinestars its first World Motocross Championship accolade
Roger de Coster won five World Motocross Championships and began a continuous run of World Championship success for Alpinestars that continues to the present day.
Sante Mazzarolo was honored with a number of Italian design and product awards in the early years of the company, establishing a reputation for creativity and innovation that took another step when he began development of road racing products in the 1970s. Kenny Roberts became Alpinestars’ most high-profile Grand Prix World Champion when he took his first title in 1978.
Development continued at pace, with the company producing boots for all forms of motorcycling, road and off-road, for competitive use and leisure, and in 1986 Gabriele Mazzarolo, Sante’s son, established Alpinestars USA based in Los Angeles, California. With Gabriele, Alpinestars USA started the development of its performance-leading mountain bikes, taking Mike Kloser to the podium of the 1990 World Downhill Championship.
With the Italian part of the Company now also owned and directed by Gabriele, by the mid-1990s the first technical apparel line was designed and launched, and in 1999 Alpinestars began development of high-performance road racing leather suits. Nicky Hayden and Ben Bostrom began to use Alpinestars suits in AMA Superbikes, and Carlos Checa was the first MotoGP rider to use Alpinestars suits in the premier category. Troy Corser was Superbike World Champion in 2005, and in 2006 Nicky Hayden opened a long series of MotoGP World Championship won by Alpinestars all the way to Fabio Quartararo currently.
In 2001 the development of Tech Air, Alpinestars motorcycling airbag was started, with its introduction to MotoGP in 2009 culminating with the current system, utilized by the majority of racers from MotoGP to the Dakar rally.
Success has by no means been confined to two wheels. Alpinestars began developing auto racing footwear at the very beginning of the 1990s, equipping many of the world’s leading Formula 1 and Indycar drivers throughout the decade before establishing an Auto Suit Department in 2000. The Championships of Petter Solberg in World Rally in 2003, Kurt Busch in the Nascar Cup in 2004 and Fernando Alonso in Formula 1 in 2005 started a continuous series of top Championships to this day.
In 2004, Alpinestars began a partnership with Honda in the Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup and in the same year a new division dedicated to the creation and development of casual sportswear was opened in Los Angeles, and distribution in lifestyle fashion channels commences around the world.
In 2005, Greg Minnaar won the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup while the intensive development of specialist MTB apparel and protection continued and was brought to market.
Alpinestars, since its inception in 1963, is now the world-leading manufacturer of professional racing products, motorcycling airbag protection, high-performance apparel, and technical footwear. Alpinestars understands that the best design and research is achieved under extreme conditions. Our involvement in Formula 1, MotoGP, AMA Supercross and Motocross and NASCAR, and countless other top racing organizations has led to the creation of the most advanced and innovative technical equipment for the world racing’s top athletes.
The company employs about 700 staff worldwide with headquarters in Los Angeles, California, Northern Italy, Tokyo and Southeast Asia headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand.
Brand Pillars
ONE GOAL. ONE VISION.
These words, “One Goal. One Vison” summarize the idea that Alpinestars shares the same goal, and vision as our champion athletes. Champions put full focus and effort into achieving their goal. They prepare, train, and think intensively about racing and becoming a champion. This then makes success look easy come race day and the seasons to come. This drive contributes to our “Race on Sunday, Innovate on Monday” objective. We work with the fastest athletes on the planet to develop the safest products for riders and drivers of all skill levels. Innovation is key to this, and we strive to constantly improve our products for like-minded, passionate people who share a love for riding and racing as we do.
Alpinestars is in the process of obtaining our B-Corp Certification, and in doing so, becoming a more sustainable company, helping to create a stronger global environmental impact.
Boiler Plate
Alpinestars has been redefining protection for motorcyclists ever since the company was established in 1963. Commitment to innovation has led Alpinestars to become the world-leading manufacturer of professional motorsport racing products, motorcycling airbag protection, high-performance apparel, technical footwear, and helmets. Alpinestars understands that the best design and research is achieved under extreme conditions. Our involvement in Formula 1, NASCAR, MotoGP, World SBK, AMA Supercross and Motocross, MXGP, Dakar and more has led to the creation of the most advanced technical equipment for the racing world’s top athletes.
Product Overview
Alpinestars develops products for men, women and kids, categories include: Auto Racing / Karting / Motocross / Enduro/ Dual-Sport / Road Racing / Commuting / Touring / Adventure Riding / Urban Riding / V-Twins / Mountain Biking / Flat Track / Endurance Racing and Dakar. Each riding or driving discipline has its own specific protection capability and need. We want to make riding a motorcycle as safe and as comfortable as driving a car. We want to mitigate injury to riders and drivers by constantly pushing the level of protection that can be achieved.
Please enjoy this video from Randy Mamola, giving us a quick tour through headquarters.