This month, the Napapijri Bulletin turns its gaze toward the people who bring the Spring/Summer 2026 WHOAREYOU? campaign to life. Once a week, we will feature two of its protagonists, opening up conversations that explore the values at the heart of our brand.
Each profile becomes a meeting point: the same questions approached from different angles, the same themes refracted through distinct experiences, uncovering the unexpected connections that emerge from difference.

Heritage Expanding: Paolo Nespoli and Maurizio Marassi

Heritage is not a place you leave behind. It is something you carry as you step into the unknown. In this issue, Maurizio Marassi and Paolo Nespoli explore how tradition stays alive when pushed to its limits, from the water to outer space. Their voices reveal how the past fuels reinvention and how identity evolves when curiosity takes the lead.

Tradition often surprises us when it meets progress. How do you respond when innovation challenges the values you hold dear?

PN: As an engineer, I see heritage and innovation as two sides of the same coin. Experience gives you certainty, but if you repeat the same things forever, you never evolve. Innovation is necessary, but it is risky because you step into the unknown and even informed people can make wrong choices. Still, progress happens because someone tries what should not work. Curiosity pushes us forward even when experience tells us to stay put.

MM: When innovation helps me express myself better on the board without distorting who I am, I welcome it. If something new becomes mine and stays consistent with my relationship with the water and my style, then it is worth embracing. But when innovation feels like trend for trend’s sake or risks pulling me away from authenticity, I do not follow it. I stay true to my roots, respecting the sport and avoiding shortcuts.

It takes courage to innovate without losing sight of your roots. How do you honor the past while shaping the future?

PN: I grew up idolizing astronauts who seemed beyond human. Then I became one and realized that progress is a chain where each generation builds on the previous one. Today, some Apollo astronauts look at my long missions and say I have done what they never could. That is heritage and innovation working together. We respect what came before and then extend it.

MM: As my career grows and expectations rise, staying grounded matters more than ever. I focus on the same principles that got me here: staying connected to the places, people, and early days that shaped me. My roots are what allow me to build the future, and I never want to lose that connection as new opportunities arrive.

Tradition often surprises us when it meets progress. How do you respond when innovation challenges the values you hold dear?

PN: As an engineer, I see heritage and innovation as two sides of the same coin. Experience gives you certainty, but if you repeat the same things forever, you never evolve. Innovation is necessary, but it is risky because you step into the unknown and even informed people can make wrong choices. Still, progress happens because someone tries what should not work. Curiosity pushes us forward even when experience tells us to stay put.

MM: When innovation helps me express myself better on the board without distorting who I am, I welcome it. If something new becomes mine and stays consistent with my relationship with the water and my style, then it is worth embracing. But when innovation feels like trend for trend’s sake or risks pulling me away from authenticity, I do not follow it. I stay true to my roots, respecting the sport and avoiding shortcuts.

It takes courage to innovate without losing sight of your roots. How do you honor the past while shaping the future?

PN: I grew up idolizing astronauts who seemed beyond human. Then I became one and realized that progress is a chain where each generation builds on the previous one. Today, some Apollo astronauts look at my long missions and say I have done what they never could. That is heritage and innovation working together. We respect what came before and then extend it.

MM: As my career grows and expectations rise, staying grounded matters more than ever. I focus on the same principles that got me here: staying connected to the places, people, and early days that shaped me. My roots are what allow me to build the future, and I never want to lose that connection as new opportunities arrive.

Is there someone you admire for their ability to reinvent while staying true to tradition?

PN: For me, the astronauts of the Apollo era remain the clearest example. They did something entirely new while carrying the heritage of aviation, exploration, and human curiosity. Meeting them later and standing beside them showed me how reinvention and tradition feed one another.

MM: I admire riders who innovate without losing their identity. Their style remains unmistakably theirs even when they experiment. I also admire athletes who can appreciate what others are doing and cheer for it without abandoning their own direction. That mix of strong personal style and openness is something I respect deeply.

Does it take more courage to break away from tradition or to reinterpret it?

PN: Courage is not about breaking rules just to break them. It is about acting without being paralyzed by the possibility of failure. In space, mistakes happen despite intense preparation. Real courage lies in acknowledging them, communicating them, and allowing the system to improve. That is how tradition evolves.

MM: Breaking away is easier because it can quickly become ego or the illusion of inventing something new that may have existed before. Reinterpreting tradition requires humility, knowledge, and awareness. Understanding what came before enriches what you do next and makes innovation meaningful instead of simply different.

Is there one teaching or phrase that feels like your roots and guided you?

PN: My roots taught me to dream boldly but build realistically. As a child I wanted to be an astronaut, but as an adult I had to ask if I had the tools to pursue it. Eventually I restarted from scratch: new degree, new skills, new language. That balance between realism and aspiration has guided me ever since.

MM: A phrase that represents me is: “Either you win or you learn. The real failure is not trying at all.” It keeps me grounded and reminds me that progress comes from taking risks and accepting mistakes.

What do you love about the place you have chosen to live or explore, and what do you love about the place where your roots lie?

PN: In space, you feel like a citizen of humanity. Nationality fades and what matters is working together at the frontier of the unknown. Returning to Earth reconnects you instantly to your origins: the smell of grass, the wind, the weight of gravity. My roots show me where I come from. Exploration shows me where we can go when we move as one.

MM: Where my roots lie, I love the calm, the simplicity, and the water that first gave me a sense of freedom. It reminds me why I started. The silence, the emotion, and the community of people who share that connection make it special.

Is there one teaching or phrase that feels like your roots and guided you?

PN: My roots taught me to dream boldly but build realistically. As a child I wanted to be an astronaut, but as an adult I had to ask if I had the tools to pursue it. Eventually I restarted from scratch: new degree, new skills, new language. That balance between realism and aspiration has guided me ever since.

MM: A phrase that represents me is: “Either you win or you learn. The real failure is not trying at all.” It keeps me grounded and reminds me that progress comes from taking risks and accepting mistakes.

What do you love about the place you have chosen to live or explore, and what do you love about the place where your roots lie?

PN: In space, you feel like a citizen of humanity. Nationality fades and what matters is working together at the frontier of the unknown. Returning to Earth reconnects you instantly to your origins: the smell of grass, the wind, the weight of gravity. My roots show me where I come from. Exploration shows me where we can go when we move as one.

MM: Where my roots lie, I love the calm, the simplicity, and the water that first gave me a sense of freedom. It reminds me why I started. The silence, the emotion, and the community of people who share that connection make it special.