#Headquarters
AN HQ SERIES
RESEARCH DISTRICT
Asola (MN), Italy.
Before design, prototyping, production, or logistics, there is one department where everything begins.
While the industry trend is to outsource product testing, we chose to build our own in-house laboratory, so that everything leaving here is as reliable as possible.
A choice, yes, but also a necessity. Because we work with new materials that no one has ever tested before.
The allure of the unknown, followed by the thrill of discovery. The ambition to shift the course of an entire industry. This is the complex, yet captivating daily work of our researchers.
From our Research, Development & Quality Control lab, every yarn passes through first: the ones with the potential to become part of a product, an entire collection, or even a breakthrough for the whole industry. Some pass every test, others require many rounds of refinement before being deemed fit for purpose, and many never see the light of day.
Stepping into this lab means stepping into a world of discovery. It’s thrilling to see new creations come to life. But it’s just as thrilling when tests fail. We are not masochists, we are simply aware of the value of failure. In science, failure is not a setback but part of the journey toward discovery.
That’s why we’re never frustrated when a test doesn’t pass on the first try, we’re excited. With daily testing, it would be naïve to think every result could be perfect at first attempt. Especially since we experiment across so many different dimensions.
Our laboratory has been purpose-built to meet the needs of the categories we serve. From footwear to apparel, we use state-of-the-art machinery to push our products to their absolute limits before they ever reach the hands of our athletes.
Peeling. Abrasion. Twisting. Compression. Chemical reactions. Color fastness. Wash cycles. Sweat resistance. Dynamic water resistance. Changes in appearance. Humidity endurance. Shoe flexing.
These are just some of the tests we run in the lab, covering both the mechanical and the chemical side of research. And we do them over and over, every single day, pushing materials and garments to their limits to ensure not just acceptable durability, but performance well above the market average.
Working with radically different materials means gradually learning the strengths and the limits of each.
We know that not every material can achieve top performance across every test. If that were the case, diversity would lose its value and a single material would dominate. It is always a matter of compromise, depending on the intended use. Perfection is a relative concept, but we strive to deliver the best possible combination of qualities for the specific activity each garment is designed for.
When you are in constant pursuit of excellence, in performance, in quality, and in wellbeing, you position yourself as a pioneer. You must be able to set the standards that will define the industry from that moment on. This is how we aim to shape the future every day, rather than chase it.
"Running tests inside our own laboratory comes with many advantages. One of them is embracing failure as a necessary step on the path to the most exciting breakthroughs. In science, failure is not a setback but part of the journey toward discovery."
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