Over 50 years ago, the Italian label C.P. Company pushed past the conventions in coloring fabric. Bologna-born founder Massimo Osti, a former graphic artist, endeavored to dye a fully-fashioned garment, as opposed to simply dyeing raw fabric before its assemblage. The result was the sort of brilliance never before achieved with pre-dyed clothing; a bold step taken in the early 1970s.
Before its 1978 rebranding, C.P. Company was originally named Chester Perry. The name referenced a British comic revolving around a buying clerk’s delusions of grandeur. Considering Osti’s compulsion toward dreaming up new developments in the function and fabric (not to mention, color) of outerwear—and often to the befuddlement of textile specialists—the brand’s original name would have fit perfectly.
The difference is that Osti managed to turn each lofty idea into actual innovation. Since the 1980s, C.P. Company excavated the archives of military wear and reimagined its forgotten icons, from Dutch motorcycle and Swiss field jackets to Anti-gas goggles. Soon, sleeves could be removed and hoods could be retracted. Protective gear became a signature feature on jackets. Function was continually enhanced, where new trademarks accompanied everything from waterproof wool to fabric made virtually indestructible via vulcanized rubber.
Like the heroes and adventurers its prototypes were made for, the daring in C.P. Company’s DNA only intensified. The 2000s saw the brand forge further paths into garment dyeing, refining its process so that even tech fabrics could enjoy nuances in color. By 2018, the brand’s Bespoke Colour service even offered color customization for knits and outerwear.
Osti hasn’t earned the distinction “Godfather of Italian sportswear” for nothing. If anything, the dreams he founded the company with, made real these days by his son Lorenzo, have only grown more vivid. While past models such as the goggle-hooded Mille Miglia are timeless, not to mention refreshed each season, the brand’s research into new technologies remains exhaustive.
