November 02, 2018 (Magog, Quebec) – The legendary Castelli iconic scorpion logo is renowned in top-end cycling circles around the globe. The 140-year-old Italy-based global cycling clothing company owned by Manifattura Valcismon (MV) is steeped in the sport’s history, with front man Chris Froome and Team Sky as one of their shining partners.

The company also owns Sportful and Karpos brands and it’s no surprise that MV Canada, opened three years ago has grown each year and recently moved into new larger offices, located on the main street of Magog, a small Eastern Townships city in Québec.

“The six of us [they were three at the beginning] were getting a little tight in our old location, also in Magog,” said Pierre Perron, general manager of MV Canada, during Pedal‘s guided tour. “That’s how popular Castelli is: we’ve expanded staff and moved to a bigger place to keep up with demand.”

Prior to 2015, the brand was available but Perron, the former global marketing director of Garneau, and his team along with MV in Italy have made solid headway putting Castelli on the Canadian map. Recently back from the UCI Sherbrooke CX event, a first in the province, where Castelli designed the clothing including at last year’s Cyclocross Nationals, Perron is bullish on their custom clothing program.

“We’re a coast-to-coast company but previously there was no real effort to promote our brands appropriately. The quality was always there but now we are more focused and excited about the future. We’ve similar success with our custom clothing program as well,” adds Perron.

Custom Clothing Program

MV Canada’s custom cycling clothing program is gaining popularity across the country. Castelli’s personalized cycling apparel is a natural extension of the company’s quality offerings. The legendary scorpion is proud to work with clubs and team at all levels including women’s pro cycling squad SAS-Macogep, Sport-en-Tête (Québec), Todd’s Cycling (Vancouver) and NRG Performance Training (Toronto).

“When we arrived three years ago customer response was immediately positive,” explained Philip Cortes, sales manager for MV Canada. “Finally, they had more choices from a brand they knew and trusted.”

The whole process begins with contacting MV head office or one of their sales representatives scattered all over Canada. “We’re cyclists ourselves, so we try to take part in as many events as possible,” continued Perron, who took part in Les 100 à B7 the day before Pedal‘s visit.

The next step in the process are the much-coveted fitting sessions. That’s when club or team members are given access to full-fit kits (jerseys, bibs, skinsuits) with the aim of finding their perfect sizings. Fitting sessions are usually held in the evening at cycling stores under the supervision of shop employees and an MV sales rep.

While the fitting session is being organized the all-important design of the cycling apparel is co-ordinated by MV Canada’s designer and customer service rep, François Colameo. “We know this part is crucial along with colours, logos. Whether we’re redesigning an existing kit or starting from scratch, we work with the team or club to ensure their members are happy with the final result,” commented Colameo who is responsible for MV Canada’s personalized custom order management site.

Once the final order submission is placed delivery normally takes from four to six weeks with saving of 30 to 40% on off-the-shelf items. Castelli’s scorpion is ready to become a welcome addition to any cycling fraternity. The minimum custom order is five units for suits and 10 units per style for tops and bottoms.

Castelli website here.
For more information contact Mvcanada_custom@mvc46.eu.