I’m a writer and brand consultant mainly working within a sphere of the industry that is centred around technical and performance-oriented clothing and footwear. My evolution into this space was largely informed by the work of Massimo Osti and his projects like C.P. Company, Left Hand and Levis ICD+ which all heavily influenced the way I look at garment technology. The era of design at C.P. Company that I’ve chosen to highlight is one of Moreno Ferrari’s lesser-known conceptions that was birthed during his tenure from 1997 until 2001: the Transformables diffusion line, an offshoot of C.P. Company’s Spring/Summer 2000 collection. Mama, J., & van Heerden, C. (n.d.). 2000 Philips/Levis ICD+. Retrieved April 9, 2020, from VHM design futures: VHM design futures Although the accompanying book is out of print the promotional films can be found here in two parts: Philips Electronics N.V. (2000). New Nomads An exploration of wearable electronics by Philips. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers. p.26-33

Lambourne, R., Feiz, K., & Rigot, B. (1997). Social trends and product opportunities: Philips’ Vision of the Future project. Chi ’97:Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human factors in computing systems, p.494. Misc.Sell.Aneous’, Orienteer Mapazine, accessed 23 March 2023, https://www.orienteermapazine.com/urban. My life wasn’t planned to bring me to celebrate the 50th anniversary,” Lorenzo Osti explains, when he spoke with HYPEBEAST earlier this month. “My father left the company in 1993, and I chose another career, far away from fashion. But when my father passed away, I felt a duty to take care of his heritage.” Ko, L. (2011, July 5). Levi’s Launches the ‘Commuter’ Series, Tailored to the Demands of Urban Cyclists. 7X7. Ariyatum, B., Holland, R., Harrison, D., & Kazi, T. (2005). The Future Design Direction Of Smart Clothing Development. The Journal of Textile Institute, 199-210. doi:10.1533/joti.2004.0071 P. 202Liam Gallagher Launches C.P. Company, Snow Peak and Barbour Collaborations". Hypebeast. 2022-05-26 . Retrieved 2023-08-09. Interactive Family Tree: An interactive picture frame that brings together existing material and organises it via a central ‘family network’ to present family relationships In many ways, Osti’s role at the company also represents the challenges it faces as a brand. On one hand, he is a link to the past, and the brand’s golden years. Yet he is also the next generation. doing things in his own way. “My father passed to me many of his characteristics, so there is some continuity,” he explains, highlighting the way he oversees all aspects of the brand and his sense of “curiosity, experimentation with new solutions, and new ideas.” Equally, however, this is CP Company under new management. “I don’t touch the product, that is my father’s field. I never say anything about the product, we have great professionals, great designers, so I step away.” Despite C.P. Company’s garments were never explicitly conceived with Paninari in mind, we can’t help but notice how the brand’s campaigns published on Uomo Moda viscerally influenced the scene’s style. During the 1950s, the Submariner stood at the basis of the creation of the Sea-Dweller. When better engines, cars, and interstate highways increased the fuel demand explosively, at least in the United States, domestic oilfields were no longer adequate. After having fueled WWII, these were seriously depleted, and oil companies started to look further and had to drill deeper – offshore! The new drilling depths came with several new challenges. The pressure at deeper depths was one of them. For divers in the first place, this problem was solved with underwater decompression tanks or diving bells, where gasses could be breathed out.

Munk, N. (1999, April 12). How Levi’s Trashed a Great American Brand While Bob Haas pioneered benevolent management,his company came apart at the seams. Fortune Magazine. Antonelli, Paola (2005). Safe: design takes on risk. Internet Archive. New York: Museum of Modern Art; London: Thames & Hudson [distributor]. ISBN 978-0-87070-580-9. Compton, N. (2014, September 22). Studio XO, the “fashion laboratory” adding digital light and magic to what we wear. The Guardian. The Complete Guide to C.P. Company: History, Sizing & Fit". www.farfetch.com . Retrieved 2023-08-09. was an important year in Osti's career. He invented and presented Rubber Flax and Rubber Wool – linen and wool with a thin, rubber coating. [4] The rubber made the materials waterproof, improved their resistance and added a totally new look and feel to the garments. In the same year Osti experimented with brushed combed wool for the first time. Today all mills use this procedure for processing woolen textiles, the same process Osti invented in 1987.

CURATED BY

P.Ri.S.M. or Prismatic Rip-Stop Membrane is constructed from a two-tone ripstop and polyurethane membrane to create the ultimate in lightweight outerwear. Additionally, “New Nomads” presented various scenarios for the end use of their products, childrenswear, outdooring gear, workwear uniforms, business suiting, music production, jewelry and club wear all outfitted with various electronic devices to allow the wearer to interact with their surrounding environment. Outdooring and Activewear samples for New Nomads Throughout the 80s, Osti built on garment dyeing by fusing it with stone washing and a variety of other product development techniques, introducing Tela Stella, which was reminiscent of military tarpaulin and also Raso Gommato and his pioneering military influences in a fashion setting, provided the basis for modern-day functionalism. However one big problem, aside from the cost, is shrinkage. Garment Dyeing requires high heat which can cause fabrics to lose up to 50% of their original size. As no two fabrics are the same, it is a constant process of experimentation.