We’re proud to be featured in the last Issue of Mono Magazine モノ・マガジン (Japan), October 2021 Issue. They showcase the new Masterpiece “Bivacco” Yellow Western Down Jacket and the iconic “Aviatore” B-3 Seal Brown Shearling Jacket, available worldwide. Japan 🇯🇵 meets Italy 🇮🇹
We’re very proud to be featured in the Issue 22 of Men’s File Magazine x Clutch Magazine
They showcase the new Masterpieces “Stelvio” Dispatch Riders Coat and “Aviatore” B-3 Seal Brown Shearling Jacket, available worldwide.
Many thanks to the legend Nick Clements to believe in us.
We’re very proud to be featured in the new issue of Moto Heroes (France) with an amazing article about us, our products and way of life. You guys rock!
Photos by Francesco Torricella, Luca Argenton
Francesco Torricella, photographer, videomaker, adventurer, and motorcycle lover, for more than a decade has developped his passion for moving images, awarding prestigious prizes, both in Italy and abroad.
His affection for motorcycles has guided Francesco to customize bikes during spare time and take part in many off-road trips, riding in Marocco, Spain, France, and his homeland Italy.
His last work as a videomaker pays tribute to the Italian founders of the motorcycle race Flat Track.
We are extremely grateful that Francesco has shared his competence and his love for motorcycles with us. In our turn, we want you to see how his journey has started and then gone on.
Here below you can find the full interview to Francesco Torricella and his new video “Di Traverso”.
How did you get interested in video-making?
In high school, I didn’t like to study. I used to skip school and go to the film library instead of in class. I think it was there where I started looking at the cinema in a different way: not only entertainment but a powerful expressive medium that contains in itself almost all the arts. Additionally, in that period, I started experimenting with the first DV cameras and started shooting the first videos with friends.
You have won different awards until now, both in Italy and abroad. Would you like to tell us more about your achievements?
During my professional career, I have often worked in the fashion field. Among the various clients I have worked with, one of the most beautiful collaborations was the one with Kean Etro, the stylist of the men’s line of the ETRO Maison. His way of creating collections was extremely cultured and visionary. It was never a simple product matter, but there were always powerful concepts. He allowed me to express myself freely and to tell these concepts with short films. I believe that this less “commercial” and freer way of working has allowed me to create different fashion films than usual, and this has led to prizes. The rewards are undoubtedly lovely, but they don’t mean much. It is a complex and variable job, often out of your control. But when all the pieces of the puzzle fit together, and you can tell the story exactly as you had it in mind, it is the highest satisfaction.
When did you decide to combine your job as a video maker and director with your motorcycle passion?
They are my greatest passions, and therefore it seemed natural to explore the world of motorcycles with the camera, mainly to try to convey what brings us every time to get on the saddle as soon as possible.
You also personalize motorcycles during your spare time. Could you tell us more about it? And which one of those motorcycles are you more fond of?
At some point in my career, I felt the urge to do something with my own hands to do something that would allow me to detach from the leading intellectual work and get my hands dirty. So, I, together with my cousin, created Sartorie Meccaniche. The first bike was my lightning three and a half, which was also my first bike, since that moment we have made many more and every time trying to raise the bar. The one I’m most proud of is probably the “Trossi.” Under the cleanest lines, there is a great deal of ingenuity and design.
How many projects about motorcycle trips have you personally worked on? Could you give us more details?
I sincerely lost count of how many motorbike trips I have done. I have always loved the motorbike mainly for two reasons: the sensations given by riding, and for being the perfect tool for a particular way of traveling in a nomadic and free way.
What about your last video? What is the motorcycle race Flat Track?
Thanks to Marco Belli, I was able to tell the world of the pioneers of the Italian Flat Track. It is an extraordinarily fascinating and spectacular discipline. It runs without front brakes and at full throttle driving sideways. The riders are always throttled, managing a precarious balance and an even more precarious grip. I find it a fantastic thing.
How did you get interested in video-making?
In high school, I didn’t like to study. I used to skip school and go to the film library instead of in class. I think it was there where I started looking at the cinema in a different way: not only entertainment but a powerful expressive medium that contains in itself almost all the arts. Additionally, in that period, I started experimenting with the first DV cameras and started shooting the first videos with friends.
You have won different awards until now, both in Italy and abroad. Would you like to tell us more about your achievements?
During my professional career, I have often worked in the fashion field. Among the various clients I have worked with, one of the most beautiful collaborations was the one with Kean Etro, the stylist of the men’s line of the ETRO Maison. His way of creating collections was extremely cultured and visionary. It was never a simple product matter, but there were always powerful concepts. He allowed me to express myself freely and to tell these concepts with short films. I believe that this less “commercial” and freer way of working has allowed me to create different fashion films than usual, and this has led to prizes. The rewards are undoubtedly lovely, but they don’t mean much. It is a complex and variable job, often out of your control. But when all the pieces of the puzzle fit together, and you can tell the story exactly as you had it in mind, it is the highest satisfaction.
When did you decide to combine your job as a video maker and director with your motorcycle passion?
They are my greatest passions, and therefore it seemed natural to explore the world of motorcycles with the camera, mainly to try to convey what brings us every time to get on the saddle as soon as possible.
You also personalize motorcycles during your spare time. Could you tell us more about it? And which one of those motorcycles are you more fond of?
At some point in my career, I felt the urge to do something with my own hands to do something that would allow me to detach from the leading intellectual work and get my hands dirty. So, I, together with my cousin, created Sartorie Meccaniche. The first bike was my lightning three and a half, which was also my first bike, since that moment we have made many more and every time trying to raise the bar. The one I’m most proud of is probably the “Trossi.” Under the cleanest lines, there is a great deal of ingenuity and design.
How many projects about motorcycle trips have you personally worked on? Could you give us more details?
I sincerely lost count of how many motorbike trips I have done. I have always loved the motorbike mainly for two reasons: the sensations given by riding, and for being the perfect tool for a particular way of traveling in a nomadic and free way.
What about your last video? What is the motorcycle race Flat Track?
Thanks to Marco Belli, I was able to tell the world of the pioneers of the Italian Flat Track. It is an extraordinarily fascinating and spectacular discipline. It runs without front brakes and at full throttle driving sideways. The riders are always throttled, managing a precarious balance and an even more precarious grip. I find it a fantastic thing.
What is the most memorable trip you’ve ever taken on a motorcycle?
All motorbike trips, for one reason or another, are always memorable. Perhaps because you are still so present while you are riding a motorbike, the journeys remain indelibly engraved in my memory. I do not have a great memory in general, but I can remember the adventures in a motorcycle at any time. I’m sorry to do wrong to the other trips, but maybe that trip I made in Morocco, retracing the traces of the old Paris Dakar, was the most refreshing. We found ourselves in situations where we were on edge, without assistance, but we got through. In 24 hours we passed from the clayey mud of the atlas with temperatures close to zero to the sands of the Sahara with incredible heat, we saw breathtaking sunrises and guided in lunar landscapes, until ended up in the chaos of the Marrakech Medina, truly memorable.
What motorcycle do you use during your road trips? Do you ride alone or with others?
I don’t think you need to have the latest BMW GS to travel by motorbike. Indeed, I am sure that classic motorcycles are the perfect type of motorbike to move because of their intrinsic versatility. You can do a bit of everything, and they are usually not among the bikes faster, and therefore you have time to relax and enjoy the trip. The current bike I use to travel is a Kawasaki W800 that I personally customized. In recent years, however, the asphalt was starting to go a little tight, and the trips became more and more adventurous and voted off-road. For this reason, I decided to support an old Honda XR 250R at the W, with her “you do not go fast”, but “you can go anywhere”. I’ve always made trips with friends, never alone. I think a trip is something that must be shared, and then if you put yourself in the shit, it’s always better to be at least in two.
How do you feel when you ride?
If I had to answer you with only a word, I would say “light.” The way you ride a motorcycle, the feeling of control of the mechanical vehicle, and the inevitable communion that is created between your mind, your body and the bike leads you to live the present and the moment like few other things (maybe sex?). When you drive and especially when you decide to drive, you don’t have time to think about anything else. Still, you only think about driving and how to best face the next corner, this being in the moment leads you to get rid of all the kicks you bring with you in ordinary life, while it clears and the heart becomes lighter, it is truly a unique and beautiful feeling.
Together we have done many road trips and collaborations: from the Croce Domini Pass to the one until the Pyrenees. What is for you the lost horizon, the Shangri-La?
I genuinely hope Daniel decides to take an enduro, so we can finally go and look for the Shangri-La where the asphalt ends. Kyrgyzstan?
What is the most memorable trip you’ve ever taken on a motorcycle?
All motorbike trips, for one reason or another, are always memorable. Perhaps because you are still so present while you are riding a motorbike, the journeys remain indelibly engraved in my memory. I do not have a great memory in general, but I can remember the adventures in a motorcycle at any time. I’m sorry to do wrong to the other trips, but maybe that trip I made in Morocco, retracing the traces of the old Paris Dakar, was the most refreshing. We found ourselves in situations where we were on edge, without assistance, but we got through. In 24 hours we passed from the clayey mud of the atlas with temperatures close to zero to the sands of the Sahara with incredible heat, we saw breathtaking sunrises and guided in lunar landscapes, until ended up in the chaos of the Marrakech Medina, truly memorable.
What motorcycle do you use during your road trips? Do you ride alone or with others?
I don’t think you need to have the latest BMW GS to travel by motorbike. Indeed, I am sure that classic motorcycles are the perfect type of motorbike to move because of their intrinsic versatility. You can do a bit of everything, and they are usually not among the bikes faster, and therefore you have time to relax and enjoy the trip. The current bike I use to travel is a Kawasaki W800 that I personally customized. In recent years, however, the asphalt was starting to go a little tight, and the trips became more and more adventurous and voted off-road. For this reason, I decided to support an old Honda XR 250R at the W, with her “you do not go fast”, but “you can go anywhere”. I’ve always made trips with friends, never alone. I think a trip is something that must be shared, and then if you put yourself in the shit, it’s always better to be at least in two.
How do you feel when you ride?
If I had to answer you with only a word, I would say “light.” The way you ride a motorcycle, the feeling of control of the mechanical vehicle, and the inevitable communion that is created between your mind, your body and the bike leads you to live the present and the moment like few other things (maybe sex?). When you drive and especially when you decide to drive, you don’t have time to think about anything else. Still, you only think about driving and how to best face the next corner, this being in the moment leads you to get rid of all the kicks you bring with you in ordinary life, while it clears and the heart becomes lighter, it is truly a unique and beautiful feeling.
Together we have done many road trips and collaborations: from the Croce Domini Pass to the one until the Pyrenees. What is for you the lost horizon, the Shangri-La?
I genuinely hope Daniel decides to take an enduro, so we can finally go and look for the Shangri-La where the asphalt ends. Kyrgyzstan?
Keep dreaming
Looking for the Shangri-La
How many times have you promised yourself to leave everything and set off? Maybe by living out in a VW van or on the back of your motorcycle. Traveling around the world for months and stopping only to climb mountains and to rest.
That’s what James Barkman, photographer, climber, surfer, and rider has been doing for five years!
James lives his life on his 1976 VW van, doing what he loves by pursuing his passions. And if you think this is already a big deal, it’s because you don’t know yet what he made riding on a late ’90s Suzuki DR650:
“The most demanding experience of my life… a beautiful nightmare!” (Barkman, Iron and Air)
It was a dream that James and two of his childhood friends, Jeremy and Allen, shared since they were kids. Coming across the Americas through a road trip.
“The Pan-American Highway is the longest, arguably the most epic, system of roads on Earth.” (Barkman, Iron and Air)
Years later, those kids grown in rural Pennsylvania were then ready to make that crazy journey reality! From the cold and nearly desert town of Deadhorse, in Alaska, a few miles from the Arctic Circle to the warm and southernmost city of South America, Ushuaia, in Argentina. But that’s not all: the road trip would have been accompanied by rock climbing along the way. The challenge was so traveling in the lightest way possible while carring all the necessary gear for climbing and staying on the road for over one year.
Obviously, before starting, James had some concerns:
“Leading up to the beginning of our trip, intensity levels were at an all-time high. In addition to the demand of physical training and general preparation, … I had just returned from a project in Afghanistan, dealt with a winter of mechanical woes…. and watched my life savings slip away on climbing equipment and moto upgrades. I’ve learned that real adventures don’t come easy. As a friend of mine once put it, “That’s what makes it an adventure and not a vacation!” (Barkman, Fieldmag)
“The possibility of injuries, breakdowns, and failures was intimidating but also exciting. The mystery of the unknown and the open road ahead was invigorating.” (Barkman, Revitsport)
The trip began in the spring of 2017, the same day that Allen graduated from college. After saying goodbye to their families and friends, they started a 4,300-mile ride to North. First step: Alaska. The three guys had to face carburetor issues, bad weather, and even a breakdown to Allen’s bike. A little bit of luck came with a passerby who gave him a 400-mile lift. They finally came to Talkeetna. A ski plane brought the guys to Denali, the tallest mountain in North America.
Seventeen months and 38,000 miles later (about 61,000 kilometers), unforgettable adventures and misadventures were fully lived by the three guys.
Among the most memorable landscapes we want to remember:
“I don’t want to live inside the confinements of comfort, and I’m thankful for the places that my motorcycle has taken me, both physically and mentally. I want to live a story worth telling, one mile at a time.” (Barkman, Goalzero)
And you? Are you still willing to leave everything and set off?
All photo credits and quotes to: James Barkman
Keep dreaming
Looking for the Shangri-La
I know everyone is thinking: “what will be my first road trip once we come back to reality?”
That’s why we want to share with you a one-day road trip to the Italian Alps, to remember what outside is waiting for us!
You got what I mean, or do you need other clues?
This high mountain pass is a trade union among three valleys in the city of Brescia:
• Trompia Valley
• Camomica Valley
• Sabbia Valley
… so, the answer is the legendary Croce Domini Pass!!
Many of you have already followed our adventures there. Now, I want to give you further details about a trip we made last summer, on a sunny day in August.
It’s a warm Sunday. Luckily, the weather is on our side. After breakfast, we are on the road. A long and straightway. In less than 50 minutes, we come to Lovere (Bergamo), a quiet town that lies on the Lake Iseo.
The journey begins to become more attractive in the following step. We approach the Camonica Valley, land renowned for its historical past and rock sculptures that are a UNESCO site. The last piece of road welcomes many hairpins bends gaining altitude. When you come across the Italian Alps, you know you will be surrounded by uncontaminated landscapes and vast expanses of green. You can smell the freedom: a light breeze and a blue sky in front of you.
Don’t believe that the trip is over, because the journey goes on and other beautiful places await us. We have ahead a long descent. You are not alone on the road. And even if nature is silent, your eyes are catching by green pastures and herds of cows. You may stop the Lake Idro or continue. We decide to go on because we want to see the waterfall of Gorg d’Abiss.
We leave the main road for a moment. Sometimes you have to leave the safe way to get into something unexplored. We come to this little town in the Trentino-South Tyrol region. We let the road signs along village roads guide us. It’s time to leave the motorcycle and continue walking. With our helmets in the hands, we are following a path in this magical wood. Sunlight filters through the leaves of the trees. And here there is this stunning waterfall that washes our faces with its finest drops.
Our stomach is growling. We come back to the motorcycle and our destination is now the Lake Ledro. The road runs along the lake. We see a beach where you can stop. We have lunch, and we get the bathing suit out of our bags. We can not take advantage of the sunny day. It’s time for sunbathing and bathing in the lake.
After relaxing, in a single shot, we get back to Bergamo. The sun is still shining when we leave, and we can see its reflection on the shores of the lakes beyond. We have to say goodbye to the Lake Ledro and admire the Lake Garda during the route. Thousand galleries carved into the rock of the mountains guide us. The sun lowers at dusk, and it’s nighttime when we are back.
It’s a warm Sunday. Luckily, the weather is on our side. After breakfast, we are on the road. A long and straightway. In less than 50 minutes, we come to Lovere (Bergamo), a quiet town that lies on the Iseo lake.
The journey begins to become more attractive in the following step. We approach the Camonica valley, land renowned for its historical past and rock sculptures that are a UNESCO site. The last piece of road welcomes many hairpins bends gaining altitude. When you come across the Italian Alps, you know you will be surrounded by uncontaminated landscapes and vast expanses of green. You can smell the freedom: a light breeze and a blue sky in front of you.
Don’t believe that the trip is over, because the journey goes on and other beautiful places await us. We have ahead a long descent. You are not alone on the road. And even if nature is silent, your eyes are catching by green pastures and herds of cows. You may stop the Idro lake or continue. We decide to go on because we want to see the waterfall of Gorg d’Abiss.
We leave the main road for a moment. Sometimes you have to leave the safe way to get into something unexplored. We come to this little town in the Trentino-South Tyrol region. We let the road signs along village roads guide us. It’s time to leave the motorcycle and continue walking. With our helmets in the hands, we are following a path in this magical wood. Sunlight filters through the leaves of the trees. And here there is this stunning waterfall that washes our faces with its finest drops.
Our stomach is growling. We come back to the motorcycle and our destination is now the Ledro lake. The road runs along the lake. We see a beach where you can stop. We have lunch, and we get the bathing suit out of our bags. We can not take advantage of the sunny day. It’s time for sunbathing and bathing in the lake.
After relaxing, in a single shot, we get back to Bergamo. The sun is still shining when we leave, and we can see its reflection on the shores of the lakes beyond. We have to say goodbye to the Ledro lake and admire the Garda lake during the route. Thousand galleries carved into the rock of the mountains guide us. The sun lowers at dusk, and it’s nighttime when we are back.
I know, man. Now you can’t wait to go there. Don’t rush! The pass is closed from November to May. So, you have time to think about making this trip one of your most beautiful memories.
Keep dreaming
Looking for the Shangri-La
We’re very proud to be featured in the 10 Years Anniversary Issue of Men’s File Magazine (London, UK) with our new masterpiece “Varenne” Fur Collar Black Leather Jacket.
Many thanks to the legend Nick Clements to believe in us.
The Single Rider Ricky Phoolka on The Road for an awesome Adventure from Manchester (UK) to Pyrenees (ES) and back.
Riding through Mountains, Rain, Cold and Desert he’s rocking our masterpiece “Varenne” Black Leather Jacket ??
Going around Huesca in the Aragon region, passing through the Natural Park of Fuentes Carrionas, Bardenas Reales de Navarra and Riglos?
Finally he arrived in the Pyrenees, passing through Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, Baqueira Beret and Puerto de la Bonaigua (2072 mt)
Motorcycle Explorations, Looking for the Shangri-La.
It’s all about Passion, Tradition, Quality.
In the Heart of Northern Italian Alps, known for its 100 year history of craftsmanship that may continue for the next 100 years, countless hours pass mastering the art of blending tradition and innovation.
The result is the creation of essential garments designed for Bikers, Rockers and Gentlemen.
Shangri-La is said to be a mythical valley, a place of pure human desire and spirituality. Shangri-La Heritage evokes the deep passion for motorcycle exploration. Close contact with the natural valleys that surround us all is the inspiration to create these timeless products.
It’s all about getting lost and finding new ways…
Looking for the Shangri-La.
A film by Francesco Torricella
https://www.instagram.com/francescotorricella/
On November 3-4 we took part in New Heritage Festival in Düsseldorf (Germany ??).
New Heritage is where Quality takes place, it’s a homage to Craftsmanship and Timelesness; it showcases two days of manufactories and small businesses who are aware of traditional craftsmanship, sustainability through quality and their own personal “heritage”. The exhibitors create products for eternity that eventually become genuine favorites and new heirlooms.
We had a great time there, we met awesome customers and we talked to inspiring people.
Grazie a tutti
See you on the road
Photos by the magical Monsieur Müller
