The Dainese name needs no introduction to diehard motorcyclists but perhaps its CEO does. Angel Sánchez is the man who spearheads the company, having taken over from Cristiano Silei in November of 2023.
What has followed is a subtle but sustained growth period under Sánchez’s watch, one that was punctuated by the third sale of the brand in 13 years when HPS Investment Partners and Arcmont Asset Management took over from The Carlyle Group at the beginning of 2026.
Sánchez brings a fresh point of view to the historic brand that has clothed everyone from Valentino Rossi to Marco Bezzecchi, Freddie Spencer and Kenny Roberts, Dainese’s corporate fingers reaching into motorcycling, winter sports (skiing), mountain biking, and even competitive sailing.
“It has been a pretty incredible two and a half years since I joined the company,” Sánchez said. “Dainese is a company full of passion. It hasn’t been the easiest of times at Dainese as we’ve been through a few troubles, but those issues have been passed over, so I’m super happy to be leading the team forward.
“There was a change of property earlier this year when HPS Investment Partners and Arcmont Asset Management took over the company. HPS is part of Blackrock and Arcmont is European.”
Seen through many eyes as the premium riding apparel company (and priced accordingly), Dainese knows it has plenty of ground it can make up, especially within the North American market that covers the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
“The American market is around 20 percent for Dainese, so there is still a lot of opportunity for us to grow here,” Sánchez said. “The U.S. combines with Canada and Mexico to provide lots of growth possibilities. We are here to save lives and the more riders that wear our clothing, the better it will be.
“One of the important things is we handed full control of the American market to the U.S. team. Before the business of the American market was run from Italy, now the American team is doing a great job in looking after its own market. That includes all the racing on a national level in MotoAmerica, and we have seen good take up in this area of our business.”
This includes Dainese’s unique market approach, one that includes their own flagship stores like the D Store chain as well as through individual distributors.
“We have our direct-to-consumer line, which is important, we have our own stores and our own line,” Sánchez says, “but for us it is more important to reply on distributors to gain knowledge of the customer, to try to understand what they are looking for and what we can improve in our market. Having this direct contact is very important for us but the key for more growth is our distributors and this is something we are trying to push very much.”
Part of this is the continual develop of airbag technology and its widespread adoption. Already mandatory in many racing championships around the world, take up for street riding is still far too low. Part of this comes from a lack of understanding of the technology, but more it is due to the cost/barrier to entry.
“We invented the airbag and have never stopped developing it. We are always, continually developing the airbag,” Sánchez says proudly. “Our airbag is the lightest in the market and the safest. We have certified Level 2 protection without any additional protection like a back protector. We are the only company that is certified to that level.
“We are trying to expand the use of airbags. It is widely adopted in racing, but street riders are not there yet. Today, less than two percent of street riders that wear an airbag. And the airbag is the most protective thing you can have. And unfortunately, as we all know, shit happens.
“One of the greatest things in my job is the letters I get from people that have had an accident that say, “thanks very much, you saved my life”. It happens a lot that people take the time to write to the company. It’s very important and soon we will have news to have airbags easier and more affordable for the everyday rider.
“Giacomo Agostini is a great friend of Dainese, and he told me that in his day, three or four riders were killed every year. Now these riders are significantly faster, they can have enormous, high-speed crashes and nothing happens. So, everything we have been doing to improve safety has been key, not just for us at Dainese but everyone.
Dainese’s airbag technology has also been widely adopted in professional downhill skiing, with Sánchez claiming 80 percent of the athletes that participated in the downhill and speed skiing trials at the recent winter Olympics in Italy were wearing a Dainese airbag.
Then there is Dainese’s “other” brand, AGV. Dainese bought AGV back in 2008, marrying two brands that were almost already inoperable thanks to the efforts of Valentino Rossi in MotoGP, a lifetime wearer of the tricolor helmet.
AGV faces unprecedented competition with a slew of new brands on the market, but for Sánchez, AGV is proving to be one of the pillars of Dainese’s global brand structure.
“AGV is going great. It’s a very strong brand,” says Sánchez. “The Pista GP RR is the best helmet for racing, and have great representation in MotoGP with riders like Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini.
“The brand has as many fans as Dainese does. The relevance of the AGV Pista in Southern California is incredible. I have visited some areas and the take up of riders wearing it is unbelievable.
“We have new products coming. We don’t need MIPS. Our helmets exceed every standard placed on it. MIPS is an area that is interesting for new, developing ideas, but we don’t need it.
“Let’s just say we have a new “super tech” product coming for AGV but if I told you what it was, I’d have to kill you. We will start talking about it in May/June for the racetrack. Then after we launch it, the technology will go into other helmets.”
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