Few garments are recognised as quickly as the C.P. Company Goggle Jacket: a jacket with two lenses on the hood and another one on the sleeve. This is the story of how a garment designed for a car race became one of the great icons of casual clothing.
Massimo Osti and the birth of C.P. Company
Italian designer Massimo Osti founded the brand in Bologna in 1971 under the name Chester Perry. In 1978 it became C.P. Company, after a dispute over the name with other brands. Osti was a tireless researcher: he tested technical fabrics, studied military and workwear, and was a pioneer of garment dyeing. In 1982 he also created Stone Island.
1988: the Mille Miglia
The jacket was born in 1988 for the Mille Miglia, the legendary Italian classic car race. That is why its first name was the Mille Miglia Jacket, and the first pieces were given to the race’s organisers and drivers.
To design it, Osti drew on his research into protective hoods and gas masks from the Second World War.
Why it has lenses
- The two lenses on the hood, like a pair of driving goggles, let you zip the hood up completely and still see.
- The lens on the wrist lets you check your watch without pulling up your sleeve, which is very handy behind the wheel.
From the race track to the street
Over the years the Goggle Jacket left the race track and became a classic of casual culture, especially in the United Kingdom. Today the lens appears on many of the brand’s garments: sweatshirts, overshirts, hats and cargo trousers, which usually have a lens on the sleeve or on a pocket.
The brand today
Massimo Osti died in 2005, but his archive of garments and fabrics is still a reference. C.P. Company has changed owners several times and, since 2015, has belonged to the Hong Kong group Tristate. The lens is still its signature.
How to tell if a Goggle is genuine
The lenses are the first thing to give a fake away. We explain what to look for in our guide how to tell if C.P. Company is authentic.