The CP Goggle Jacket: A Closer Look

So why Is the CP Company goggle jacket so popular I hear you ask… Well, its distinctive construction is designed with a touch of Italian flair, while perfectly blending style and practicality. Staying true to its original design of a moto racing jacket over 50 years ago, the jacket’s modern design is based on its roots of style, utility, and functionality.

A Casual Icon

The CP Company Goggle Jacket is perhaps the definition of a ‘grail’ for many. For any man with more than a passing interest in clothes, there are certain pieces that inspire and ignite the imagination, whether for their looks, innovative technical specifications, or associations with a certain lifestyle or period in time.

Combine any or all of these with limited availability, a high price or both, and you end up with a sought-after garment with a cult status: a grail. The Goggle Jacket possesses all of these characteristics in spades.

The creator of the jacket — legendary CP Company and Stone Island designer Massimo Osti — had a knack for creating clothes that elicit these kinds of feelings; considering himself more of a fabric engineer than a fashion designer. Osti always sought to push forward in terms of textile innovation while honouring the sporting, maritime and military heritage that inspired him, an approach that speaks to men the world over.

History of the Goggle Jacket: Militaria to Mille Miglia

One of Osti’s most iconic designs, the Goggle Jacket epitomises these inspirations. The first version of the Goggle Jacket was conceived as part of CP Company’s sponsorship deal for the 1988 Mille Miglia (‘1000 Mile’) vintage sports car endurance race: a 1000-mile round trip race from Brescia to Rome and back using only classic and vintage cars.

Originally staged annually from 1927 to 1957, the race paved the way for the rise of some of Europe’s most illustrious car manufacturers from Ferrari to Porsche. From the Sixties onwards, the rules were changed to only allow vehicles released before 1957.

Due to the lack of modern conveniences in these cars, the participants needed adequate protection from the harsh elements during the often grueling race, and Osti took it upon himself to design the ideal garment for these purposes: forward-thinking but with classic styling and, above all, practicality.

At the time of the 1988 race, Osti had already been experimenting with creating a jacket with built-in protective optics, first incorporating them into an elongated collar in the Explorer Jacket. But after delving into his extensive archive of militaria, Osti hit on his ‘eureka moment’: a 1960s-era Swiss Army sniper jacket.

You can instantly see the stylistic and practical correlations between this and the Goggle Jacket, particularly the abundance of pockets, ideal for holding essentials for soldiers, racecar drivers and regular Joes alike. The jacket also features a hood with a pull-down mesh cover to provide full-face protection. Coupling this concept with his existing optical frame design, the CP Company Goggle Jacket was born.

Originally made from a simple beige twill cloth, the jacket captured the attention of drivers and spectators alike, and was incorporated into the CP Company collection in 1989, where it has remained as a staple of their lineup ever since.

Lens Flair

In more recent collections, the designers have experimented with the Goggle motif, adding the lens viewers to pockets and sleeves on everything from lightweight hooded jackets to cargo shorts. The original designs are guaranteed to be sold for high prices, and this, cements the CP Goggles motif status as a genuine classic — not only of fashion but within industrial design, emblematic of CP Company and Osti’s ethos as a brand, and the lifestyle they represent: the perfect jacket for any and all adventures.

View our full range of CP Company Jackets and other apparel, from CP Company t-shirts and CP Company hoodies online at Aphrodite Clothing today.

February 12, 2015

Find Out All You Need To Know About MA.STRUM

MA.STRUM Brand Guide

In an ever-evolving fashionable landscape, the space for new brands to emerge and establish themselves is always shrinking-with new endeavors failing and wardrobe stalwarts continuing to rule the roost. Bucking the trend is no mean feat, however, one label, in particular, is defying all the odds and making waves in an area of fashion that is notoriously competitive. Ma.STRUM, at just six years old, is taking the outerwear decisions of men across the globe by storm.

Founded in 2008, MA.STRUM has carried its own direction of style, focusing on the utilitarian nature of the traditional men’s coat and taking cues from historic and modern-day military attire. By combining this sense of functionality and form, MA.STRUM has quickly built up its own cult following, adding a present-day touch to a truly timeless aesthetic.
However, it’s not just their eclectic range of highly wearable designs that has launched them into the limelight of the fashion industry.

With a deep-seated connection to one of the godfathers of modern design, MA.STRUM takes pointers from Massimo Osti- the man behind the meteoric and innovative rise of both C.P. Company and Stone Island. Known as a garment engineer, rather than a fashion designer, Osti was obsessed with change, bringing a pioneering spirit to all that he touched; developing new fabrics and dying techniques that would change the fashion industry forever.

Taking cues from Osti’s undoubted era of dominance over outerwear, MA.STRUM reignites his passion for technical outerwear, bringing together a group of designers and fashion industry heads that are dead set on making the Osti name proud.

From owner John Sharp, an Osti enthusiast, to the world-renowned Donrad Duncan and even Osti’s own son, Lorenzo Osti, MA.STRUM is an elegant platform for the protection and celebration of Osti’s attitudes and principles in fashion design.

Named MA.STRUM by Donrad Duncan, the name aims to sync life’s rhythm, from music to your everyday activities. MA, which is the abbreviation for Master of Arts, and STRUM, which represents rhythm, come together to represent the mastery of the product of the rhythm of life- a romantic notion that perfectly syncs with MA.STRUM’s concept of being at the heart of a functional, life ready wardrobe.

Although MA.STRUM is crafted in the image of the late great Massimo Osti, it by no means mimics him. Some styles that follow his iconic designs feature a beautifully well-appointed ‘Osti Archive’ inner label, proudly announcing their allegiance with the historic designer- however, other styles delegate their own path, coming from the minds of Donrad Duncan and Lorenzo Osti to forge MA.STRUM’s own legacy.

With an undeniable aspect that reflects upon the technical aspects of men’s outerwear, MA.STRUM jackets feature innovative materials that provide everything from world beating insulation, to wind and rain protection- some styles even come with a useful pocket torch to truly prove their utilitarian nature and military inspired roots.

Durable, hard wearing and beautiful to the touch, MA.STRUM jackets harbor an air of infamy about them, reaping the rewards that their high tech basis offers them, whilst remaining supremely well put together and uniquely styled, with cuts that flatter, protect, and effortlessly blend with a modern day wardrobe.

Even though MA.STRUM positions its elegant range of outerwear at the pinnacle of its collections, the Italian based brand offers a range of products that encompass their unique styling for all your wardrobe-essentials. Following the same formula of quality and innovation, everything that MA.STRUM craft for the modern man’s wardrobe carries unique features, with each piece being purpose-built for usability, as well as desirability. From MA.STRUM polo shirts with added ventilation for ease of wear and comfort, to MA.STRUM jumpers that feature a lightweight, yet supremely warm material, every piece that leaves this unique brand carries a strong sense of purpose.

Signified by a movable button badge that features a popper fastening, every piece of MA.STRUM design is instantly recognizable and affiliated with a technologically advanced style. From their studio in Bologna, Donrad Duncan and Lorezno Osti continue to strive to live up to the illustrious reputation of Massimo Osti, seeking to continue his legacy of fashion becoming as useful as it is attractive. By bringing back an undeniable feel of functionality to the everyday wardrobe, the stellar design pairing has done just that, influencing a new generation of fashion-forward wearers to reconsider the practicality of their wardrobe choices.

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