Through history, some unlikely mash-ups have proved great successes. British rock-n-rollers, plus traditional blues music? Most would judge that a smash hit. Now, Dainese is trying the same thing with motorcycle gear, by mixing modern gear tech with vintage offroad nostalgia.

Dainese has just unveiled its Dunes lineup of motorcycle gear. The gear isn’t inspired by Frank Herbert’s Hugo-winning 1965 sci-fi novel Dune (or David Lynch’s 1984 film adaptation—we wish!). Nope, instead it is inspired by the early days of the Dakar rally, or so the marketing content says, at least.

Despite its retro flair, the collection does include some textile or mesh gear with built-in armor, such as the men’s Alger Tex and Sabha Tex jackets and the women’s Kiffa Lady Tex jacket, or the men’s Atar Tex pants and Alger pants. The Kayes Tex jacket is textile with suede reinforcements, as is the Djado Tex vest. However, some of the gear is made of leather, not textile (the Kidal jacket, the Djanet jacket). Good luck wearing that when you’re out in deep sand …

Along with the jackets and pants, there’s also a selection of riding gloves, T-shirts, and a windbreaker. Pricing will vary, depending which country you’re in, but Dainese is generally at the high end of the price scale (although typically with very good fit and attention to detail as well).

When you look through the gear, even the stuff made of modern materials with lots of armor,  it doesn’t inspire thoughts of offroad excellence. Dainese has other gear lineups for those needs, though; this stuff is mostly about looking cool on your BMW R nineT Urban G/S, or your Ducati/Triumph Scrambler. However, like the REV’IT! Sand Urban lineup that came before it, the Dunes gear is at least a step in the right direction, offering something with a bit of breathability and proper armor for the hipster vintage-inspired rider who doesn’t want the modern look but does want a bit of comfort and safety. It’s likely a better option than searching Etsy for an old Belstaff and riding with it sans armor.

For more details, see the Dunes website, and watch the video below.

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