Your cycling club can now order customized Giordana face masks

Italian company Giordana is known for its high quality cycling kit, but during the pandemic the brand has ventured into new territory—creating face masks for cyclists and the general population. The masks, available in solid black or with a customized design, are made for both cycling and everyday wear.

A new design

Giordana did its homework when creating the masks, which it says are comfortable and breathable. The factory landed the contract to produce reusable/non-medical masks for all school boards in Northern Italy, so the masks had to work for a variety of face shapes and uses.

The development phase of the mask design was different from that of the kit items Giordana standardly makes. The masks will be used for cycling and for day-to-day activities so the team rigorously tested them in a variety of conditions and over extended periods of time.

Once the design was set, moving to production was relatively seamless. “We make hundreds of garment types in-house and own our machinery,” says Jenny Tuttle Rollyson, marketing director at Giordana. “The pivot from a production standpoint was not too different from adding a new accessory to the line.”

Giordana says the ergonomic cuts and high-tech materials it uses for cycling clothing are well suited for protective masks. The result is a machine washable, water repellent mask, cut from a single piece of material that features 4-way stretch and UV protection.

Masks for cycling and day-to-day activities

The Giordana masks are specifically designed for cycling, but can be used in any setting— outdoor, indoor and social. They come with a malleable aluminum nose bridge, which, paired with seams on top of the nose and under the chin, keeps a tight seal around the edges of the mask. In testing, the Giordana team found that the tight fit forces breaths through the mask instead of being channeled up towards the glasses, so the issue of glasses fogging was greatly reduced.

It’s important to note that these masks are not recommended for use in a surgical setting or where significant exposure to liquid, bodily fluids, or other hazardous liquids might be expected.

Bike shops in North America have started to put in orders for the custom Italian-made masks. In Canada, Toronto’s The 11 inc. is already selling branded masks. The custom masks are also available for teams and clubs, with bulk order pricing available (50+ for $10.50/mask, 100+ for $10/mask and 200+ for $9.50/mask).