Brand Focus: C.P. Company

The first brand launched by iconic designer Massimo Osti, C.P. Company first emerged from the sprawling city of Bologna, Italy in 1971, but their early growth in the UK began in the late 1970s with the emergence of the football "casual" subculture and their adoption of Italian fashion, the origins of which are mostly credited to fans of Liverpool, rumoured to have been so impressed by the fashion seen amongst their counterparts when on European trips that they brought it home with them. Elements of the most popular pieces, such as the integrated goggles of the "Mille Miglia" jacket, have become mainstays of the brand and serve as a reminder of the brand's undeniably influential heritage.

Shell R Goggle Jacket, Black

While initially production focused entirely on screen-printed t-shirts with graphics from Osti, the designer's desire for experimentation and innovation saw development of now ubiquitous dyeing techniques only two years later. This process completely revolutonised the industry and is still in use today. Garment-dyeing began from the basic idea that different materials would react in a different manner to the same dye bath, and as such unique qualities can be found when these fabrics are dyed together as one assembled garment rather than separately as loose fabrics. Whilst also offering practical advantages such as removing stiffness from fabrics and reducing initial material cost for the brand, the colour and "worn-in" effects the technique created quickly became a trademark of C.P. Company and still feature heavily across their collections today.

Organic Gabardine Zipped Lens Overshirt, Total Eclipse

Since day one, material and textile development alongside experimentation with colour technologies has been a staple of the C.P. Company mantra. Whether repurposing fabrics otherwise ignored by the fashion industry (Dyneema, the world's strongest fabric was utilised to create a unique "Metropolis" jacket) or creating entirely new fabrics (The brand's "50 fili" cotton-nylon blend has been used in every collection released, even to this day), the brand remains at the forefront of innovation across the sector. Staying true to the original vision of Massimo Osti, heritage military and utility garments serve as the main inspiration behind the bulk of technical developments.

Shell R Hooded Lens Jacket, Laurel Wreath Green

Each new collection released by the brand, rather than relying entirely on the successes of the past, draws inspiration and then immediately looks to the future, ensuring a legacy that will continue to last long into the future.

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