Ideas from Massimo Osti

THE BRANDS OF MASSIMO OSTI

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67 71 78 81 82 C H O M P C H O M P. . .

CHESTER PERRY

C . P. C O M P A N Y

BONEVILLE

STONE ISLAND

FOR THE LOGO OF HIS FIRST

THE NAME, STOLEN FROM THE

CONSTRAINED TO CHANGE THE

W H E N I M I TAT I O N S O F H I S D E S I G N S

FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF

LINE OF POP ART INSPIRED

W O R L D O F C O M I C S , I S T H AT O F

N A M E O F H I S C O M P A N Y, M A S S I M O

BEGIN TO APPEAR, MASSIMO

A R O U G H A N D H A R D WA S H E D

T- S H I RT S M A S S I M O C H O O S E S T O

T H E F A C T O R Y W H E R E B R I S T O W,

C H O O S E S T O M AT C H T H E A C R O N Y M

DECIDES TO LAUNCH A LINE WITH

M AT E R I A L , “ T E L A S T E L L A ” , C O M E S

USE THE COMIC BOOK SPEECH

THE HERO OF FRANK DICKENS’

OF CHESTER PERRY WITH THE

MORE COMPETITIVE COSTS WHICH

T H E N E E D T O C R E A T E A N E N T I R E LY

BUBBLE AND, FOR THE NAME, AN

S T R I P, W O R K S . T O P R I N T T - S H I R T S ,

ENGLISH LANGUAGE WORD

WILL SOAK UP ALL THE IDEAS

NEW COLLECTION. RESEARCH FOR

O N O M AT O P O E I A O F A B I T T E N

JACKETS AND SHORTS MASSIMO

“COMPANY”. IN THE 80S HE ADDS

AND EXPERIMENTS WHICH DO NOT

THE NAME BEGINS WITH THE IDEA

H E A RT.

E M P L O Y S M E T H O D S T H AT AT T H E

THE IMAGE OF A BRITISH SAILOR

F I N D S P A C E I N T H E C . P. C O M P A N Y

OF THE SEA AND ADVENTURE. THE

T I M E A R E O N LY U S U A L LY U S E D F O R

TO HIS LOGO. THE AMOUNT OF

COLLECTIONS. HE GIVES THE

WRITINGS OF JOSEPH CONRAD ARE

PAPER: HE MAKES ABUNDANT USE

RESEARCH BEHIND COLLECTIONS

BRAND THE NAME OF A FRENCH

THE SOURCE FOR THE TWO WORDS

OF THE PHOTOCOPIER, PLACED

INCREASES AND EACH SEASON

TOWN HE ONCE STOPPED IN

M A S S I M O E V E N T U A L LY D E C I D E S

PRINT SCREENPRINTING AND THE

B R I N G S N E W M AT E R I A L A N D

O V E R N I G H T B Y C H A N C E . T H E N AV Y

ON; “ISLAND” AND “STONE”,

FOUR COLOUR PROCESS. HE

S T Y L I S T I C I N N O VAT I O N S T H A N K S T O

A R C T I C L O G O , C R E AT E D I N 1 9 8 7 ,

C H O S E N , F O R T H E I R E V O C AT I O N ,

EXPERIMENTS WITH THE GARMENT

T H E S T R U C T U R E O F H I S C O M P A N Y,

IDENTIFIES THE GARMENTS OF A

R E S P E C T I V E LY, O N O N E H A N D O F

DYEING METHOD. IN 1977 HE

BY NOW UNIQUE TO THE SECTOR

C O L L E C T I O N W H I C H U S E M AT E R I A L S

LIBERTY AND ON THE OTHER THE

C R E AT E S A S E C O N D L I N E D E D I C AT E D

A N D E X T R E M E LY I N F L U E N T I A L

O F A T R A D I T I O N A L LY N A U T I C A L

ROBUSTNESS OF THE NEW FABRIC

T O K N I T W E A R A N D S W E AT E R S ,

ACROSS THE BOARD OF THE ENTIRE

D E R I V A T I O N . T H E B . N . V. S P O R T I N G

W H I C H I S I M M E D I A T E LY W I D E LY

TO WHICH HE GIVES THE NAME

C L O T H I N G I N D U S T R Y.

GOODS LOGO IS GIVEN TO MORE

COPIED AND THUS REPLACED WITH

SPORTING CLOTHES.

N E W M AT E R I A L S . S T O N E I S L A N D I S

“FACTORY” IN HOMAGE TO ANDY WA R H O L .

A L R E A D Y A B R A N D W I T H G R E AT SUCCESS WHEN IT IS DECLINED WITH FURTHER SUB-LABELS: MARINA, T E N N I S A N D G O L F.

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87 93 95 99 03 C . P. C O L L E C T I O N

LEFT HAND

MASSIMO OSTI PRODUCTION

MASSIMO OSTI

M.O. DOUBLE USE

HIS FIRST COLLECTION OF

M A S S I M O I S L E F T- H A N D E D A N D

AT T H E H A L F WAY M A R K O F T H E 9 0 S

AN AMBITIOUS PROJECT WHICH

THIS IS A 24-PIECE COLLECTION

FORMAL CLOTHING, FOLLOWING

FROM THIS SIMPLE FACT HE INVENTS

M A S S I M O L E A V E S C . P. C O M P A N Y

PROPOSES A REVOLUTION OF

OF URBANWEAR MADE FROM

THE EXPERIMENTS WITH COAST

THE NAME OF THE FIRST BRAND

AND FOUNDS PRODUCTION, TO

THE DISTRIBUTIVE MECHANISMS

REVERSIBLE, GARMENT DYED

T O C O A S T. T H I S L I N E I S A B L E

C R E A T E D B Y H I M O U T S I D E O F C . P.

PRESENT THE FIRST COLLECTION

O F T H E F A S H I O N I N D U S T R Y. T H E

CASHMERE. MASSIMO IS THE FIRST

TO CHANGE THE CLASSIC LOOK

C O M P A N Y S . P. A . T H E C O L L E C T I O N S

WHICH WILL CARRY HIS NAME

COLLECTION IS CONSTRUCTED FROM

TO USE THE GARMENT DYEING

OF THE TRADITIONAL MEN’S

ARE CHARACTERISED BY TWO

D I R E C T LY. T H I S N E W L I N E I S

M AT E R I A L S S U C H A S E L E C T R I C - J ,

P R O C E S S O N C A S H M E R E ’ S D E L I C AT E

S U I T P R E D O M I N A N T LY T H R O U G H

N E W LY D E V E L O P E D M A T E R I A L S ,

FOCUSED ON THE INVENTION OF

COOL COTTON, STEEL AND SAFER.

FIBRES. THE COLLECTION IS

E X P E R I M E N TAT I O N W I T H A N E W

“MICRO” AND “THERMOJOINT”.

A N E W M AT E R I A L , “ T E C N O W O O L ” ,

E M E RY B R U S H I N G T R E AT M E N T F O R

AND THE USE OF HIGH-

WOOL WHICH GIVES IT A WORN-IN

PERFORMANCE SYNTHETICS.

L O O K A N D V E LV E T F E E L .

ST 95 THE SECOND LINE OF THE BRAND H A S A D E C I D E LY S P O R T I E R C H A R A C T E R A N D I S D E D I C AT E D T O A YOUNGER PUBLIC.

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P R O D U C E D I N T H E FA R E A S T.

SHELL E M ERY BRUSHED “50 - FILI” BY T P B - B A R Z AG H I, WAT E R P R O O F E D W I T H P O LY U R E T H A N E C O AT I N G

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HOOD IRL ANDA FIX LINEN

BY T E S S I T U R A C A R P I N I (P R ATO) TR E AT ED BY IT S A RT E A W ITH WAT E R P R O O F I N G F I N I S H

FINISHING AND COLLAR SALINA FIX LINEN BY C ARPINI TR E AT ED BY IT S A RT E A W ITH STR U C T U R ING SILICO N FINISH

LINING P O LYA M I D E M E S H B Y M . I .T. I .

(B E R G A M O)

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THE EVOLUTION OF GARMENT DYEING This version of the Mille Miglia is emblematic of Massimo Osti’s working method and its structural complexity is the culmination of experimentation with research into form and materials. It is the product of direct inspiration from his archive of military garments and unites various fabrics treated with waterproof coatings, finishes and emery brushing treatments into a single garment.

This prototype of the S/S 1989 goggle jacket is a classic example of “evolved” garment dyeing.

Simultaneously dyeing different materials, both natural and synthetic, some even coated in polyurethane resins, grants the product the lived-in stylishness of a vintage garb and a chromatic harmony that would otherwise be impossible.

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C OV E R , 1, 2 / T H IS T R I A N G U L A R C A P E W I LL CH A RT A CO U R S E FO R T H E D E V ELO PM EN T O F T H E FI R ST STO N E IS L A N D CO LLEC TI O N W H I CH I S M A D E E N T I R E LY F R O M T H E D U A L C O LO U R “ T E L A S T E L L A” C O T T O N C A N VA S . M A S S I M O M O D I FI E S T H E O R I G I N A L “Z E LT B A H N ” M O D E L BY ADDING A HOOD AND WIDE CUFFS W H I C H P R E V E N T S WAT E R F R O M ENTERING THROUGH THE SLEEVES. S TO N E I S L A N D S / S 19 8 2

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1 / “I CE JACK E T” A DV ERTISI N G I M AG E O BTA I N E D BY CO LO U R P H OTO C O P Y I N G T H E G A R M E N T, STO N E IS L A N D 2 / TR A NSPA R ENT I M AG E: SK E TCH A N D P ROTOT Y P E FO R H E ATI N G S Y ST E M TO P L ACE W ITH I N STO N E IS L A N D “I CE JACK E T S” TO D E M O N ST R AT E T H E CO LO U R CH A N G E ACCO R D I N G TO D I FFER ENT T E M P ER AT U R E S 3 / SAILING “ICE JACKET” IN S U M M E R V E R SI O N, T H E CO LO U R C H A N G E S F R O M L I L A C TO V I O L E T. S TO N E I S L A N D S / S 19 8 9 4 / M A S S I M O P E R S O N A L LY T E S T S A SAILING “ICE JACKET” FROM T H E S / S 19 8 8 C O L L E C T I O N D I V I N G O F F H I S B O AT, T H E “ C O A S T TO COA S T ” I N TO T H E WAT E R S O F T H E GRENADINES.

BEQUIA, ANTILLES,

W I N D WA R D S I S L A N D S , 19 8 8

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“The most vivid memory I have of my father is of him working on the Ice Jacket. It was back in 1988 and in that period the idea of a fabric changing colours was comparable to something from science fiction.

And for me, a mere child, it was pure magic. But he seemed to be as excited about it as I was: he took it to the beach and wore it in the sea to check how it reacted with water, temperature... he obviously thought it was great fun, and so did I.” Alessia Vignali, “Beyond Sportswear”, interview with Lorenzo Osti, Sport&Street Collezioni, S/S 2012

THE CONSTRUCTION OF A WORKING MODEL Massimo photocopies everything that looks interesting and can fit underneath the lid of the machine: books, buttons, glasses, boxes, different models of pockets, collars, zips, sleeves and stitching, the surprising or particularly complex details stolen from astronaut suits, field jackets, carpenter smocks, extreme sports outfits. All of which he neatly archives.

“In Massimo’s studio there were no technical drawings, his way of ‘drawing’ a design with the photocopier allowed us to entirely jump that design process.

Working with the photocopier and a combination of existing garments (almost always from his archive), samples of fabrics and a few pins he would create a 3-D model of the garment in 1:1 scale, a mock-up which immediately simulated, as realistically as possible, the final result.

This model was sufficiently ‘legible’ that he could take it directly to the pattern cutter (and he always did this personally, for each piece) and from this the cutter would be able to directly create a prototype.

The method was so distinctive and new that it became a sort of school.

Each clothing type: jackets, trousers, shirts etc., had its own design station, a kind of loose cubicle, with shelves acting as walls, demarcating the area, and tables in the middle.

Each table would be ‘laid’ in advance with his tools; his fisarmoniche, tirelle and dye samples, as well as archival garments, and related accessories such as zips or buttons and pins and scissors, the shelves were chosen so that working models could be easily hung from them.

He didn’t have a single desk or office where he worked, each one of these rooms became his office when he entered them.

Everything was set up in a very visually accessible way, a system devised entirely by him, because the process for designing the clothes ran in parallel to the development of new fabrics and treatments, all the dyeing tests of new and different materials: there were an enormous amount of things done for the first time ever each season, an enormous amount of variables of which he had to remain aware while he designed.

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While beforehand or afterwards he dialogued with his team, when it came to the moment of the actual creative process he worked alone.

He entered each station and worked by himself. In complete silence; a radio left on in the carpark out the front was enough to cause a tantrum. At most he would call you over to make a photocopy for him because he didn’t want to get up and interrupt his work, otherwise he was completely silent, concentrating, cutting things out, pinning them to an old parka which was hanging on the wall or laid on the floor, standing back and observing the model as it took shape. Then he liked to leave things and let them sit for a few days before coming back and reexamining his work.”

Rossella Zanotti, in charge of the fabric archive in the Massimo Osti Studio

1 / V I NTAG E IS R A ELI A R MY PA R K A

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W ITH P H OTO CO PI E S O F P O CK E T S A N D ZI P S AT TACH ED TO V IS UA LIS E DIFFERENT DESIGN POSSIBILITIES 2 / P H OTO G R A P HS O F A V I NTAG E G A R M ENT W ITH P H OTO CO PI E S AT TACH ED 3 / P H OTO CO PI E S FO R TH E CO NSTR U C TIO N O F WO R KING MODELS

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Sensitive to the cultural references of the times, with a range of different experiences under his belt, Massimo Osti intervenes on clothes as he does the environment, on the urban landscape as he does fabric, he grows passionate about politics and ecology.

That Massimo is considered an “anomalous fashion designer” or simply “designer” as he personally liked to define himself, becomes clear to everybody when, in 1989, Piaggio asks him to redesign new models of the Vespa motor scooter for them.

He likes to go beyond fashion and lend his abilities to other fields, sometimes for professional reasons, sometimes out of friendship. He designs safety backpacks for the Ministry of Transport, objects which schoolchildren should use while riding scooters. For his friends he designs the covers of albums and books, posters for films and theatre performances, he creates the logo for the first “free radio” in Italy, Radiocittà.

He loves to involve the artists he admires in his work, he generously supports their projects.

He mixes life, friends, passions and work, this is his method for feeling as though he is participating in the world that surrounds him and the culture of his times.

LOGO DESIGN The ideation of a new line is the result of a very clearly articulated creative process.

The point of departure is often an apparently fortuitous intuition, a creative urgency born from an inspiration which is at times casual, at others the result of a long period of research, which then takes on its form through a complex process which mixes aesthetic sensibility with an understanding of systems of communication, developed

by Massimo during his youthful experience in advertising, and the market.

For him the creation of a brand begins with the desire to create a product with a strong identity, which is unlike anything else available on the market. When convinced of the validity of his idea he researches and personally chooses the new name, designs the logo and creates a marketing strategy: the identity of the product, innovation and communication are always developed hand in hand.

Forced to change the name of his Chester Perry brand, he adopts an acronym and initially continues with the same logo with the new brand name inserted into the same life buoy design. Later a British sailor, with arms crossed, becomes the new protagonist of the brand, smiling, dependable and informal.

Inspiration comes from one of the books of military uniforms which Massimo collects for the library in his studio.

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Research into a logo for the Boneville line begins with a book bought on Charing Cross Rd in London.

Massimo personally cuts out and reassembles the military pendants and flash, he prints the designs of badges and stars onto transparencies, enlarges them, blocks them out and frames them within other insignia.

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1 / G R A PH I C AT T E M PT S AT SUBSTITUTING THE WORDS CHESTER P E R R Y W I T H C . P. C O M P A N Y

4 / FRO NT COV ER O F TH E BOOK BY GUIDO ROSIGNOLI,

2 / P H OTO CO P Y FRO M A B O O K O F

“ A R M Y , B A D G E S A N D I N S I G N I A ”,

M I LITA RY U N I FO R M S, M .O A R CH I V E

B L A N D F O R D P R E S S , LO N D O N 19 74

3 / WOOLLEN L ABEL WITH THE

5 / GR APHICAL RESEARCH AND

B R ITIS H S A I LO R LO G O

TESTS FOR BONE VILLE L ABEL

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