Italian firm Virus Power produces motorcycle gear that is lightweight, wearable, and most importantly, free of animal-derived materials. The brand claims that its products meet extremely high safety standards and are already used by a number of riders, including Scott Redding in the World Superbike series.
The company, which is based in Prato, might have made history of sorts with its latest piece of gear. Its new line of race suits does away with leather completely, and that's down to the promise of modern textile substitutes. Yup, you read that right – no leather.
Virus Power might not be the best brand name out there, but the company does some serious work. The new racing suits from Virus Power are based on a sophisticated fabric called MultiProtective that provides excellent performance in terms of safety, lightweight construction, and resistance to cuts, ripping, and abrasion.
Established in 2018, the company is a subsidiary of Pri.Ma.Tex Srl, a protective workwear brand. Virus Power's apparel – which includes jackets, gloves, and boots – stands out more than anything else since it is manufactured without the use of animal-derived materials.
“These suits are a little bit different from the traditional ones,” explained Cristian Tartoni, export manager at Virus Power. “It’s completely in textile, with no leather involved.”
The company is accredited by the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), which guarantees the use of recycled materials throughout the production chain. And that’s no easy feat – every link in the production chain needs to be validated to ensure that each component of the final product can be verified.
As for the MultiProtective suit, it weighs only about 8.8 lb (4 kg). Without extra reinforcements, suits are capable of providing protection up to 12 times higher than the safety standards mandated by current regulations. Virus Power suits are the only ones in the world that have received AAA accreditation under the EN17092:2020 standard, which is the highest degree of safety for motorcycle apparel. To this, the predisposition to use the airbag is added.
With one of the lowest heat exchange coefficients, the suit shields the rider from burns during a long slide in addition to keeping out ambient heat. The suit is also incredibly breathable because of a proprietary weaving technique which helps the rider experience less perspiration and fluid loss as a result.
After his time with BMW, Scott Redding returned to riding with Ducati in 2025. To mark new beginnings, the MGM Bonovo Racing Ducati rider has switched to vegan-friendly riding apparel. “For me, it’s the future of motorcycle racing suits, so I’ve taken a chance with it,” Redding told MCN . “Comfort-wise, it’s absolutely amazing. I want it to be an elite racing suit, and it’s all made in-house, fantastic."
Other than Redding, Virus has also collaborated with racers in the European Moto2 series, Italian and Spanish championships, and more. Additionally, the company also supplies all of the suits used in the junior MiniGP finals.
As you’ might expect, the Virus racing suit doesn’t come cheap. It starts at €1,399 (US$1,465), for the least costly version and goes up to €2,699 ($2,872) for the most expensive, and that’s not counting the modifications and the add-ons for personalization. There are currently four versions available, including one for female riders.
It’s not currently on sale in the USA, but I reckon it soon might very well be. It's about time tech caught up with motorcycle apparel.
Source: Virus Power
