Two-Stroke Chic: Vespa Launches “Al Vento” Fashion Line

Anyone who knows me understands that I’m a sucker for a vintage Italian motorcycle. Ever since I sat down to watch Quadrophenia - The Who’s iconic mods vs rockers kitchen sink rock opera - as an impressionable teenage boy, I’ve been fascinated by the timeless chic and innate rebellious attitude of Vespa, Lambretta and their various imitators. I’ve since owned an unending collection of two-wheelers on which to zip around dressed in my best Paul Smith suits, and I hope it’s something about me that will never change. 

Battle jackets at the ready

Vespa has a particularly special place in my heart (my very first scooter was a stinking two-stroke PX), and as such, it’s been exciting to watch the heritage brand step into a new era over the past couple of years that extends beyond motorcycles and into the lifestyle and fashion sphere. There have been a couple of missteps along the way - the collaboration with Justin Bieber showed an almost staggering lack of awareness of their core audience - but the Italian automotive brand’s new clothing line shows a renewed sense of swagger that’s hard to resist. 

A new approach to timeless streetwear

Vespa’s latest foray into the fashion world is their much-lauded ‘Al Vento’ clothing line. Stylish, deliciously retro and showcasing a full embrace of their place in popular culture, it’s a real nod to the past. Taking cues from 60s, 70s and 80s street fashion, Vespa claims the line has arisen from “the unmistakable aroma of two-stroke fuel mix”. Now we’re talking. 

There’s a heady blend of tailored elegance and pop culture on display amid the Al Vento collection, which once again gives an inspired nod to the mod culture that put a rocket under Vespa’s place in our collective consciousness. While you won’t find any skinny suits and black ties in this launch, the recipe is very much inspired by Vespa as a motorcycle brand in essence, if not in actual visual appearances. 

The Al Vento collection (the official name of which is Miscela Nostalgia, or ‘mixed nostalgia’ for those of us lacking elementary level Italian) is described by the brand as a “contemporary reinterpretation of the era of Vespa rallies”. This really comes across strongly and with decided aplomb - there’s plenty of the dusty chaos of Milan’s backstreets in this clothing line, an ambience of carefree liberation. It is, quite clearly, trying to encapsulate the feeling of bombing around on a bike not dissimilar to my old PX… and that’s something I can really get behind. 

You’ll find oversized jersey tops boasting plenty of volume and soft lines, along with graphics that harken back to 70s and 80s biker photojournalism - there are racing logos, oversized patches, technical codes and clear nods to the kind of Vespa meet-ups that inspired wayward teenagers in 60s Brighton to cause a moral panic and fashion movement that can still be felt today.

Miscela Nostalgia shearling

I’ve been especially tempted by the cargo field jacket that features a fabulous collection of patches on the back - a ‘battle jacket’ in all but name, and it’s a superb pairing partner for the collection’s cargo trousers.

A matching mini skirt pays satisfying homage to the ‘mod girl’ fashion that led neatly into 70s British women’s streetwear, and you’ll also find a shearling jacket emblazoned with ‘Miscela Nostalgia’ that I’ve no doubt will find its way into my personal collection before too long. Blue denim jackets and red sweaters bring retro styles full circle, and Vespa has also launched a long-sleeved and short-sleeved white T-shirt for timeless and utterly versatile everyday wear.

In 2025, brands like Vespa don’t need to go the extra mile to survive - their legacy has long been secured. Indeed, there’s almost guaranteed to be yet another mod revival around the corner, not least with the sudden and dramatic resurgence of Britpop dominating the airwaves right now. However, there’s something doubtlessly thrilling about the efforts continually made by this Italian brand, who show their competitors how there’s plenty to offer by shamelessly mining the past… and doing so in style. 

See the full collection here.