The legacy of Massimo Osti is evidenced not just in the brands he created and left behind, but in every day life. This pioneering and celebrated designer pushed boundaries so other people didn’t have to. On visiting his archive 7 years ago, my mind was blown by the sheer volume of fabric research, the vast majority of which never went beyond testing stage.
With his son Lorenzo now heavily involved in C.P. Company, the Osti legacy is in perfect hands. But with all of the remaining brands founded by Massimo there’s an element of real-world issues that surround each. They are businesses, after all. As a result, that uncompromising trait demonstrated by Massimo throughout most of his work has perhaps been confined to history, or so we thought.
In Massimo Osti Studio exists a brand that tried to take the Massimo DNA straight from source, creating garments that represent the true ethos of the legend, bringing them to the modern day in a way perhaps Osti would have.
With Rob Newman at the helm, this isn’t so much a reimagined range as something which honours the spirit of its namesake. As a means to convey this sentiment, Lorenzo Osti and Newman recently headed to Liverpool to talk about the project as well as mark the final act of an 18 month project supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and indeed Seven Store, entitled Locating Menswear.
Locating Menswear is an international network designed to investigate the cultural and industrial connections between London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Milan, Italy, and how they have influenced the production, display, and consumption of British menswear. It is led by Professor Andrew Groves, Director of the Westminster Menswear Archive, and Jo Jenkinson from Manchester Metropolitan University.
Andrew was joined by the aforementioned duo on the panel on the evening as well as Daniel Milne, Osti enthusiast and main head at Seven when it comes to this sort of activation.
The entire Proper team were sadly elsewhere in Europe taking pictures of shoes (more of which soon), which accounts for our lack of attendance. An unfortunate clash of diaries.
From what we can gather though, an enlightening and engaging time was had by all. Check the pics out and see Massimo Osti Studio gear here.
