Sometimes it takes a brand forty years to become famous overnight. Pissei had been sewing cycling clothing in Tuscany since 1978 - first for amateur teams, then for clubs, always in the background. Everything changed in 2022 when UAE Team Emirates knocked on the door. Today, Pissei is the supplier of the most dominant team in professional cycling.
1978: Ellegi and the Tuscan textile tradition
The story begins in Pistoia, just outside Florence, in the heart of the Italian textile region. Under the name Ellegi, the company specialized in sportswear from the very beginning. Tuscany provided everything a clothing brand needs: Access to high-quality fabrics, a tradition of textile processing and seamstresses who are masters of their craft.
In 2006, Ellegi officially became Pissei. In 2019, new ownership took over with a more global vision. But production remained where it always was: in Italy. 100% Made in Italy - from the fabric cut to the last seam.
The Custom Lab: where WorldTour suits are made by hand
Pissei operates a custom lab in Tuscany, complemented by a development department in Cremona. This is where the prototypes are created that are later worn in the peloton.
The WorldTour journey began in December 2022: The first prototypes of the Magistrale jersey for UAE Team Emirates were sewn by hand in the Custom Lab. What began as an experiment became a partnership at the highest level. The professional riders test fabrics and cuts under racing conditions - and the feedback flows directly into the collection.
Two products are at the center of professional development:
The TT-Suit - developed as the fastest time trial suit in the peloton. Tested in the wind tunnel, adapted to the body of each individual rider. Worn by UAE Team Emirates and UAE Team ADQ.
The Hybrid Suit - the combination of time trial aerodynamics and road comfort. From the wind tunnel to the road, from the spring classics to the Grand Tours. Tadej Pogačar chose this suit for the Tour de France 2023 and the one-day classics.
2023: The first season - and an immediate sensation
In the very first year, Pogačar proved that the Pissei kits work under race conditions. In the Tour of Flanders, he attacked on the Oude Kwaremont, distanced Mathieu van der Poel and rode 19 kilometers to the finish alone - his first victory in this monument. The following week, he won the Amstel Gold Race and the Flèche Wallonne. This was followed in October by the Tour of Lombardy for the third time in a row.
In every winner's photo: the white jersey with the Pissei heart logo on the right breast. For a brand riding its first WorldTour season, this was a visibility boost that no marketing budget can buy.
2024: The year that changed everything
What Pissei experienced in 2024 happens to a clothing brand once in a hundred years - if ever. Tadej Pogačar won the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in Pissei clothing in the same season. He also won Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the fourth Tour of Lombardy in a row. Then, in September, he won the world championship in Zurich - after a solo ride over 100 kilometers, 34 seconds ahead of Ben O'Connor. The Triple Crown - Giro, Tour, World Championships in one year - had not been achieved by anyone since Eddy Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987.
For a small manufacturer from Pistoia, this meant that the whole cycling world was suddenly looking at the stitching, the fabric, the cut, the name on the chest of the best rider in the world.
Why we carry Pissei
Pissei is the opposite of a lifestyle brand. No bloated marketing, no celebrity campaigns - instead a factory in Tuscany that has been sewing cycling clothing for over four decades and has become better than most.
The series products benefit directly from the WorldTour development. The Primapelle bib shorts use thermo-welded side panels from time trial suit production and Italian NYAL fabric - the same material used in the peloton. The Magistrale jerseys are based on the platform developed for UAE Team Emirates. The entire production chain remains in Italy - even for the series products, not just the professional kits.
At Kilometro, we carry Pissei because the brand shows what happens when Italian craftsmanship meets WorldTour requirements. What Pogačar wears in the race is based on the same technology and fabrics you'll find in the store. The difference is the cut - not the quality.