C.P. Company

In 1984, Osti sold his company shares to GFT (Gruppo Finanziario Tessile), but stayed on as the brand's stylist until 1994.{{cite web|title=C.P. Company ‘Archivio’ Collection: Autumn – Winter 1994|url=http://www.osti-archive.com/blog/2014/01/19/c-p-company-archivio-collection-autumn-winter-1994/|website=www.osti-archive.com|accessdate=9 April 2016|archive-date=22 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422200932/http://www.osti-archive.com/blog/2014/01/19/c-p-company-archivio-collection-autumn-winter-1994/|url-status=usurped}} In 1993 the brand was acquired by Carlo Rivetti. Rivetti changed the name of the company from C.P. Company to Sportswear Company. In 2010 it was sold to Enzo Fusco's FGF Industry S.P.A.{{cite web|title=C.P. Company|url=http://www.fgf-industry.com/en/brands/23/c.p.-company|website=FGF Industry S.P.A.|accessdate=9 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221105054/http://www.fgf-industry.com/en/brands/23/c.p.-company|archive-date=21 December 2016|url-status=dead}} In 2015, the company's intellectual property was bought by Hong Kong apparel group Tristate Holdings Limited ({{SEHK|0458}}).{{cite news|title=Tristate (00458) buys C.P. Company intellectual property|url=https://www.quamnet.com/newscontent.action?articleId=4452244|accessdate=9 April 2016|work=Quamnet.com|date=2015-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220085841/https://www.quamnet.com/newscontent.action?articleId=4452244|archive-date=20 December 2016|url-status=dead}}

C.P. Company was founded in 1971 in Bologna, Italy, by designer Massimo Osti (1944–2005). The brand was originally called Chester Perry but following joint legal action by the British menswear brands Chester Barrie and Fred Perry, the name was changed to C.P. Company in 1978.Lodovico Pignatti Moreno, ed., C.P. Company 971-021. An Informal History of Italian Sportswear (Tristate International SA and IDEA Books, 2021). Initially the company produced t-shirts screen-printed with graphic designs developed by Osti, but by 1973 the brand started to produce other garments including jackets, trousers, and shirts.Daniela Facchinato, Ideas from Massimo Osti, 01 edition (Bologna, Italy: Damiani, 2012), 26. In 1984 Osti sold the company to GFT (Gruppo Finanziario Tessile) but stayed working with the company as a designer until 1994. In 1993 the company was bought by Carlo Rivetti (b. 1956) and became part of a larger group called Sportswear Company S.p.A.Byoungho Jin and Elena Cedrola, Product Innovation in the Global Fashion Industry (Springer, 2017), 46. Massimo Osti resigned as creative director in 1994, and Romeo Gigli (b. 1949) was employed as the brand’s creative director, designing menswear, and launching a womenswear line. In 1997, Moreno Ferrari (b. 1952) succeeded Gigli as creative director. In 2001 Alessandro Pungetti was announced as the company's new creative director, where he remained in this role until 2009 when Wallace Faulds (b. 1979) was appointed by Carlo Rivetti as the new head of design.Emilie Marsh, ‘C.P. Company Names New Designer’, Women’s Wear Daily, 16 April 2009, sec. 1. C.P. Company was sold by Rivetti to FGF Industry SpA in 2010.Hong Kong-Listed Tristate Holdings Buys Italian C.P. Company’, Italian Collection, 8 December 2015, http://global.factiva.com/redir/default.aspx?P=sa&an=ITACOL0020151208ebc8000b8&cat=a&ep=ASE. Alessandro Pungetti was reappointed as joint creative director alongside Paul Harvey in 2012.{{Cite web |title=Stories: Interview: C.P.'s Alessandro Pungetti and Paul Harvey |url=https://www.the-spin-off.com/news/stories/Interview-C.P.s-Alessandro-Pungetti-and-Paul-Harvey-6347 |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=the-spin-off.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625113126/https://www.the-spin-off.com/news/stories/Interview-C.P.s-Alessandro-Pungetti-and-Paul-Harvey-6347 |url-status=live }} In 2015 FGF Industry SpA sold the company to Tristate Holdings Limited.‘Hong Kong-Listed Tristate Holdings Buys Italian C.P. Company’.  In 2019, Lorenzo Osti, the son of Massimo Osti, was appointed president of C.P. Company.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Italian sportswear label CP Company appoints Lorenzo Osti as president |url=https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/Italian-sportswear-label-cp-company-appoints-lorenzo-osti-as-president,1083045.html |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=FashionNetwork.com |language=en-WW |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625103128/https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/Italian-sportswear-label-cp-company-appoints-lorenzo-osti-as-president,1083045.html |url-status=live }} The brand opened a flagship store in Milan in 2019, followed by new retail locations in Amsterdam in September 2020, Riccione in June 2021, and London in 2022.{{Cite web |last=Carrera |first=Martino |date=2019-06-14 |title=C.P. Company Goes Back to the Future |url=https://wwd.com/feature/cp-company-unveils-milan-store-1203171210/ |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=WWD |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625113124/https://wwd.com/feature/cp-company-unveils-milan-store-1203171210/ |url-status=live }}

An important element of C.P. Company's design aesthetic is the use of complex dye processes to generate a range of finishes to garments across their product line. In 1974 C.P. Company started developing whole garment dyeing (Tinto in capo) as a technique of removing the stiffness from new fabrics and giving a worn appearance to final garments including T-shirts, trousers, jackets, and knitwear.Facchinato, Ideas from Massimo Osti, 26. C.P. Company established a technologically advanced dyeing laboratory in Ravarino, Italy to develop processes for whole garment dyeing, as there were no existing industrial processes for this treatment at the time. This resulted in the development of a number of new techniques, which were subsequently adopted by other fashion brands.Jin and Cedrola, Product Innovation in the Global Fashion Industry, 44.Thomaï Serdari, Rethinking Luxury Fashion: The Role of Cultural Intelligence in Creative Strategy (Springer Nature, 2020), 34. The brand also developed new methods for dyeing garments that are constructed from different fibres, such as cotton and nylon, by applying multiple dyes in a single process, which results in an extensive range of finishes including a dual-colour appearance.Fouad Sabry, E-Textiles: Monitor Personal Health and Detect Early Warning Disease Signs (One Billion Knowledgeable, 2022). This method enabled the company to purchase large quantities of a single raw material at a lower price, which could then be used over multiple seasons while appearing completely different due to the dyeing processes used.Facchinato, Ideas from Massimo Osti, 16. In addition to garment dyeing (Tinto in capo) C.P. Company were instrumental in the development of several other fabrics and treatments including 50 Fili, Velvet Wool, Rubber Wool and Rubber Flax.Facchinato, Ideas from Massimo Osti, 150 More recently the brand has utilised a variety of other cutting-edge materials including Dynafil TS-70, Dyneema, Chrome, Taylon L, NyBer, P.Ri.S.M, Polartec Alpha, Micro-M, and M.T.t.n.{{Cite web |title=The Complete Guide to C.P. Company: History, Sizing & Fit |url=https://www.farfetch.com/uk/style-guide/brands/cp-company-size-guide-and-history/ |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=www.farfetch.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625103127/https://www.farfetch.com/uk/style-guide/brands/cp-company-size-guide-and-history/ |url-status=live }}

C. P. Company’s design process was initially informed by Osti’s substantial garment archive, which was used to research archetypal military, industrial, or utilitarian garments and reinterpret details of their design to inform new design outcomes. By 1996 the archive contained over 35,000 garments.{{Cite web |title=Timeline |url=https://www.massimoosti.com/massimo-osti/timeline/ |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=MASSIMO OSTI ARCHIVE |language=en |archive-date=2023-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129093934/https://www.massimoosti.com/massimo-osti/timeline/ |url-status=live }} This approach to design was exemplified by the launch in 1991 of the Continuative Garments range from C.P. Company, which saw variations of the same garments being reissued each season, with the use of innovative fabrication and dyeing techniques used to transform these garments.‘Timeline’.  It enabled the brand to perfect and refine a series of core garments, including the Mille Miglia jacket which was based on the Swiss Alpenflage M70 military jacket and features multiple pockets.{{Cite web |title=Post Page |url=https://aligeorgehinkins.com/home/into-the-archive-the-20th-anniversary-of-c-p-company-s-mille-miglia-jacket-by-aitor-throup |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=aligeorgehinkins.com |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625103128/https://aligeorgehinkins.com/home/into-the-archive-the-20th-anniversary-of-c-p-company-s-mille-miglia-jacket-by-aitor-throup |url-status=live }} The Mille Miglia jacket also featured two plastic lenses in the hood which were inspired by research that Osti undertook on protective hoods and anti-gas masks produced during the Second World War.Facchinato, Ideas from Massimo Osti, 220. The first Mille Miglia jackets were produced by C.P. Company in 1988 and were initially given away to the organisers and competitors of the Mille Miglia (1000 Miles) endurance race, which the brand sponsored in 1998 and 1989.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-06-14 |title=How Motorsport’s Most Iconic Race Created the Stylish Mille Miglia Goggle Jacket |url=https://oracleoftime.com/how-motorsports-most-iconic-race-created-the-stylish-mille-miglia-goggle-jacket/ |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=Oracle Time |language=en-GB |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625123935/https://oracleoftime.com/how-motorsports-most-iconic-race-created-the-stylish-mille-miglia-goggle-jacket/ |url-status=live }} In 2009, the company invited designer Aitor Throup to design the 20th anniversary version of the Mille Miglia jacket, which was subsequently shortlisted by The Design Museum, London for the Designs of the Year Award 2010.{{Cite web |date=2010-01-18 |title=Design Museum announce shortlist for Brit Insurance Designs of the Year |url=https://www.dezeen.com/2010/01/18/design-museum-announce-shortlist-for-brit-insurance-designs-of-the-year/ |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=Dezeen |language=en |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625123935/https://www.dezeen.com/2010/01/18/design-museum-announce-shortlist-for-brit-insurance-designs-of-the-year/ |url-status=live }}

Following his appointment at creative director Moreno Ferrari developed the Urban Protection range which was launched in 1997 and was produced each season until 2001.Cristina Morozzi, Carlo Rivetti: C.P. Company - Stone Island (Milano: Automobilia, 2001), 79. It built on the brand’s approach to continuative garments, but while these had previously been constructed in predominantly natural fibres such as linen, cotton, leather, and wool, the Urban Protection range used an industrial nylon, Dynafil TS-70, in nearly all of the collection’s outerwear.‘Misc.Sell.Aneous’, Orienteer Mapazine, accessed 23 March 2023, https://www.orienteermapazine.com/urban {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818193905/https://www.orienteermapazine.com/urban |date=2022-08-18 }}. In addition, several garments in the range featured built-in technology, including torches, headphones, personal alarms, and pollution detectors, and were given evocative names such as Metropolis, Atlas, Life, LED, R.E.M., Move, and Rest.Andrew Bolton, The Supermodern Wardrobe, 1st edition (London: V & A Publications, 2002), 66. Ferrari's approach to the Urban Protection range has been widely interpreted as being influenced by the concept of the non-place, which was first explored by Marc Auge in his 1995 book Non-Places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity.Marc Auge, Non-Places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity, trans. John Howe (London; New York: Verso Books, 1995). Curator Andrew Bolton noted that the garments functionality aligned with the transitional spaces of the airport, highway, and subway.Bolton, The Supermodern Wardrobe. While Ferrari described these non-places as, '…anonymous spaces which annul our soul; a soul which we all pretend to forget about, but which can suddenly re-emerge to remind us who we are and what we really need.' Morozzi, Carlo Rivetti. Ferrari later designed the Transformables range for Spring Summer 2000 that included several inflatable or transforming garments constructed from blue-tinted transparent polyurethane, reinforced by a carbon coating.{{Cite book |last=Quinn |first=Bradley |url=http://archive.org/details/fashionofarchite0000quin |title=The fashion of architecture |date=2003 |publisher=New York : Berg |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-85973-752-1}} The garments included a coat that turned into a mattress, a jacket that inflated into a chair, and a coat that turned into a kite.Morozzi, Carlo Rivetti, 81. In 2006, the Transformables Parka/Air Mattress was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is now held in their permanent collection.{{Cite book |last=Antonelli |first=Paola |url=http://archive.org/details/safedesigntakeso0000anto |title=Safe : design takes on risk |date=2005 |publisher=New York : Museum of Modern Art ; London : Thames & Hudson [distributor] |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-87070-580-9}}{{Cite web |title=Moreno Ferrari {{!}} MoMA |url=https://www.moma.org/artists/27789 |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=The Museum of Modern Art |language=en |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625123936/https://www.moma.org/artists/27789 |url-status=live }} The Urban Protection range was relaunched in 2020, with a reworking of the Metropolis jacket in Dyneema, which is marketed as the world’s strongest fibre{{Cite web |last=Davey |first=Jacob |title=London Poet James Massiah Unveils C.P Company's Newly-Remastered Metropolis Dyneema Jacket |url=https://www.complex.com/style/a/jacob-davey/cp-comany-urban-protection-james-massiah |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=Complex |language=en-us |archive-date=2023-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810231341/https://www.complex.com/style/a/jacob-davey/cp-comany-urban-protection-james-massiah |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} Dyneema |url=https://www.dyneema.com/ |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=www.dyneema.com |archive-date=2023-08-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230804172923/https://www.dyneema.com/ |url-status=live }}

As part of the celebrations around the brand’s 50th anniversary in 2021, C.P. Company produced a series of collaborations with several other brands, including Patta, adidas Spezial, Barbour, Clarks Originals, and Emporio Armani.{{Cite web |date=2021-05-21 |title=Patta and C.P. Company Tap Into Their Musical Heritage |url=https://hypebeast.com/2021/5/patta-and-c-p-company-tap-into-their-musical-heritage-capsule-collection-release-info |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=Hypebeast}}{{Cite web |date=2021-10-06 |title=The C.P. Company x adidas Spezial collaboration is a tale of two… |url=https://theface.com/style/the-cp-company-x-adidas-spezial-collaboration-is-a-tale-of-two-cities |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=The Face |language=en-gb}}{{Cite web |date=2021-09-27 |title=Autumn showers? Barbour and CP Company have got you covered |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/barbour-cp-company-2021 |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=British GQ |language=en-GB |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625103130/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/barbour-cp-company-2021 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2022-03-15 |title=C.P. Company and Clarks Originals Celebrate The Point Where Nature Meets City |url=https://hypebeast.com/2022/3/clarks-originals-cp-company-desert-trek-collaboration-release-info |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=Hypebeast |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625103128/https://hypebeast.com/2022/3/clarks-originals-cp-company-desert-trek-collaboration-release-info |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2021-12-16 |title=Italian excellence: Emporio Armani and C.P. Company announce collaboration |url=https://www.wallpaper.com/fashion/emporio-armani-cp-company-collaboration |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=wallpaper.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625123932/https://www.wallpaper.com/fashion/emporio-armani-cp-company-collaboration |url-status=live }}In 2024 the collabaration pluriannuel con Manchester city pour son équipement d'avant match .

In 2023 a collaborative capsule collection with British streetwear brand Palace was produced, based on reinterpretations of classic garments from C.P. Company’s own archive.{{Cite web |last=Salibian |first=Sandra |date=2022-12-19 |title=A Look Into Palace’s New Collab With C.P. Company |url=https://wwd.com/menswear-news/mens-sportswear/palace-cp-company-new-collaboration-drop-capsule-collection-1235451897/ |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=WWD |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625103136/https://wwd.com/menswear-news/mens-sportswear/palace-cp-company-new-collaboration-drop-capsule-collection-1235451897/ |url-status=live }} The brand has also collaborated with a number of musicians, including Kano, Sergio Pizzorno of Kasabian, Liam Gallagher, and the band Gorillaz, to create capsule collections.Sam Cole, ‘FLANNELS Strikes Gold With C.P. Company & Kano’, Highsnobiety, 22 Mar{{Cite web |title=C.P. Company Collaborates With Sergio Pizzorno on New Capsule |url=https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/cp-company-sergio-pizzorno-collection/ |access-date=2023-08-09}}{{Cite web |date=2022-05-26 |title=Liam Gallagher Launches C.P. Company, Snow Peak and Barbour Collaborations |url=https://hypebeast.com/2022/5/liam-gallagher-cp-company-snow-peak-barbour-nigel-cabourn |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=Hypebeast |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625113124/https://hypebeast.com/2022/5/liam-gallagher-cp-company-snow-peak-barbour-nigel-cabourn |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2017-11-27 |title=Gorillaz Team up With C.P. Company on New Merch Capsule |url=https://hypebeast.com/2017/11/gorillaz-cp-company-merch-collection |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=Hypebeast |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625103129/https://hypebeast.com/2017/11/gorillaz-cp-company-merch-collection |url-status=live }} While notable musicians who have worn the brand include Noel Gallagher, Liam Gallagher, Bez from the Happy Mondays, and Damon Albarn who wore the Aitor Throup-designed Mille Miglia on the cover of his 2014 album Everyday Robots.{{Cite web |date=2021-03-09 |title=Fifty years on, C.P. Company is still the pioneer of Italian sportswear |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/gq-partnerships-topic/bc/cp-company-is-the-pioneer-of-italian-sportswear |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=British GQ |language=en-GB |archive-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625104630/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/gq-partnerships-topic/bc/cp-company-is-the-pioneer-of-italian-sportswear |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Dazed |date=2021-10-06 |title=CP Company is taking over a sleepy Lancashire town |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/54401/1/cp-company-sleepy-lancashire-town-darwen-spezial-50th-anniversary |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=Dazed |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Gosling |first=Emily |date=2014-01-29 |title=Art director Aitor Throup on designing for Damon Albarn |url=https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/january-2014/art-director-aitor-throup-on-designing-for-damon-albarn/ |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=Design Week |language=en-UK}}

The casual subculture that emerged during the late 1970s on the football terraces in the United Kingdom was notable for its adoption Italian brands that were difficult to find in the United Kingdom at the time. By the mid-1980s, C.P. Company began to be worn by casuals in the United Kingdom, along with other Italian brands such as Stone Island, Fila, Tacchini, Emporio Armani, Ellesse, Benetton, and Fiorucci.Stanley Smith, Dressers: Pt. 1 (Greymatters Media, 2012), 161.William Routledge, Northern Monkeys: Dressing and Messing at the Match and More, As Told by the Lads Who Were There, Second updated edition. (Marple, Cheshire: ThinkMore, 2013), 299. Particular jackets, such as the Mille Miglia goggle jacket and later the Metropolis, became iconic within the casual subculture due to C.P. Company's emphasis on distinctive outerwear.Routledge, 355. The integrated goggles in the Mille Miglia jacket also made it easy for wearers to conceal their identity from CCTV cameras and police surveillance officers.William Routledge, Oh Yes, Oh Yes, We Are the PPS - Full-on True Stories of Preston North End’s Most Fanatical Followers (Kings Road Publishing, 2010), 103. By the late 1990s and early 2000s the brands Mille Miglia jacket which had been issued each season as part of the company’s Continuative Garments range had come to symbolise the casual subculture, with illustrations of football casuals wearing the jacket appearing on numerous t-shirts manufactured by other brands, such as 80s Casuals and Casual Connoisseurs, highlighting the jacket's iconic status within the subculture. The jacket was also featured on the cover of Phil Thornton’s 2003 book Casuals: Football, Fighting and Fashion: The Story of a Terrace Cult.Phil Thornton, Casuals : Football, Fighting and Fashion : The Story of a Terrace Cult (Lytham: Lytham : Milo Books, 2003). In 2022, The Art of the Terraces exhibition at the Walker Gallery, Liverpool which examined the connection between casual culture and art, featured a number of artworks featuring the jacket by artists including as Peter O'Toole, Jens Wagner, Jamie Pike, and Paul Curtis.{{Cite web |last=Ryder |first=Elliott |date=2022-10-29 |title=Football, Adidas and risking 'lives’ for the latest trainers |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/football-adidas-risking-our-lives-25380987 |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=Liverpool Echo |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Jonze |first=Tim |date=2022-11-25 |title=And Van Gogh scores! What happens when art, football and fashion collide |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/nov/25/art-football-fashion-lowry-world-cup-van-gogh-beautiful-game |access-date=2023-08-09 |issn=0261-3077}} Between 1985 and 1993 C.P. Company published its own biannual magazine in Italian, English, and Japanese, which features the new seasons collections, with each issue selling 50,000 copies.Facchinato, Ideas from Massimo Osti, 361. In 2022, C.P. Company introduced a new magazine called Arcipelago which is published biannually.{{Cite web |title=C.P. Company presents a new magazine called "Arcipelago" |url=https://www.nssmag.com/en/article/29212 |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=nss magazine |language=en}}

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Category:Clothing companies of Italy

Category:Italian companies established in 1974