Castelli: the scorpion returns to the Tour – the 2027 Yellow Jersey unveiled

Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard or perhaps the rising star of French cycling, Paul Seixas – who will wear the Yellow Jersey at the 2027 Tour de France? The contest will be fiercely contested and unpredictable, but one thing is already certain nine months ahead of the race: Castelli will be producing the winner’s jersey to be unveiled beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. After 33 years, since the days of Greg LeMond and Miguel Induràin, the ‘scorpion’ logo will once again adorn the four leader’s jerseys of the world’s most prestigious and coveted cycling race, including the distinctive red-polka-dot jersey awarded to the best climber.

The four models were unveiled on 22 October at the Palais des Congrès in Paris, marking a historic moment for the Veneto-based technical clothing brand controlled by the Mvc Group – a holding company owned by the Cremonese family and in which the private equity fund Equinox holds a stake – which earlier this month signed a global licensing and supply agreement with Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the company that, in addition to the Grande Boucle, organises a further 26 races on the cycling circuit. Castelli will therefore also be an Official Partner of the Women’s Tour, the Vuelta, major classics such as Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Paris–Roubaix, and amateur gran fondo events such as the Étape du Tour, which attract over 80,000 participants every year.

The initiative, which will run for five years from 2027, has a clear financial and market rationale for the company led by Emilio Foà. To support the partnership, Mvc has in fact already set up a new business division focused on product development, marketing and sales. Around 200 new products are in the pipeline, and the stated strategic objective is to accelerate international expansion in the key markets of the United States and Asia, leveraging a distribution network that includes e-commerce channels, the flagship stores in Girona, Berlin and Fonzaso (the historic headquarters in the province of Belluno), as well as a wholesale presence in 75 countries.

The agreement with Aso comes at a time of strong financial growth for the group, which also owns the Sportful, Karpos and Zoot brands. Following the recent acquisition of Tailfin, a global leader in technical bikepacking, announced on 24 September, the consolidated revenue target for 2028 has been raised to 150 million euros. “The enormous visibility associated with the Tour de France,” confirms Foà, “is an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate Castelli’s global growth plans, consolidating its leadership.”

All four jerseys feature bespoke elasticated bands depicting the outlines of the stages, brought to life by hundreds of individual hexagonal stitches. The Maillot Jaune features an exclusive trim that runs the full length of the zip and, when opened, reveals the French tricolour. Each jersey also features zips in bespoke colours, matching the different shades of the classifications. The new, bespoke hexagonal zip pulls and commemorative external labels pay a subtle tribute to France’s national nickname, L’Hexagone. Special pigments have been infused directly into the fabric of the yellow jersey, making it stand out even more vividly amongst the fields of sunflowers under the bright July sun, whilst the signature of the race’s co-founder, Henri Desgrange, is featured on the jersey itself.