C.P. Company celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
In 1971 Massimo Osti, at that time a young graphic designer from Bologna founded the Chester Perry brand, which became incredibly successful thanks to its printed T-shirts. In 1978, the name changed to C.P. Company – a more direct name – and it was the beginning of a real revolution in the history of streetwear.
To celebrate the 50th-anniversary C.P. Company dedicates the first chapter of the “Anniversary Series” to the unique relationship between Massimo Osti and Lucio Dalla.
Born and raised in Bologna, Lucio Dalla was one of Italy’s most important composers and singers, whose music was for decades the soundtrack to the lives of several generations of Italians. He belonged to a genre of composers known as “singer-songwriters,” whose lyrics gave voice to the aspirations and frustrations of the post-war generation in search of social change. His lyrics were eclectic and ranged from the lives of ordinary people to his love of the sea to his passion for cars. He wrote about the world, religion and, of course, love.
Lucio used to describe himself as a “contaminator” of musical genres.
The story that binds Lucio Dalla and C.P. Company is a great story of friendship: Lucio and Massimo were an integral part of the cultural environment of Bologna in the 70s. At that time Bologna was the hub of Italian culture, in great ferment, with artists, designers, philosophers, singers and poets discussing the changes the modern world was facing.
A friendship based on mutual respect and on recognizing each other’s creative genius, which led them to collaborate on several projects: Massimo designed Lucio’s album covers and Lucio wore on stage the clothes designed by Massimo especially for him.
The capsule collection created for the occasion consists of five T-shirts and one longsleeve, with archival graphics, images and new artwork that pay tribute to his musical genius.
In addition to the collection, C.P. Company and the Fondazione Lucio Dalla, have created an artist residency with students from NABA in Milan and DAMS in Bologna. The Lucio Dalla Foundation is a magical place that recounts the career and passions of the Italian singer-songwriter through his amazing life.
A documentary has also been made that tells the story of the special relationship between Massimo Osti and Lucio Dalla: two personalities with a shared vision, great innovators guided by an insatiable curiosity and with an eye always turned towards the future. The narration of their relationship is entrusted to friends and personalities who lived those years of great cultural ferment in Bologna and to clips taken from the archives of Massimo Osti and the Lucio Dalla Foundation.
The testimonial chosen for the capsule is Ghemon, singer-songwriter, musician and writer. His passion for C.P. Company and his admiration for Lucio Dalla’s artistic path make Ghemon the ideal face for this campaign, shot inside the artist’s house in the center of Bologna.
The exclusive capsule collection is available on 50.cpcompany.com and in all C.P. Company flagship stores in Milan, Amsterdam, London, Seoul and Tokyo, starting today, March 4th, Lucio Dalla’s birth date, which also became the title of one of his most beautiful and well-known songs, 4 Marzo 1943.
