On the Legacy of Massimo Osti
Nick Sullivan and Daniela Facchinato Osti
Wednesday 05 September, 2012
6pm, $0
New School, Kaplan Hall
66 West 12th Street, Tishman Auditorium
Massimo Osti was a revolutionary Bolognese fashion designer who from the beginning of the 70s onwards was universally recognised as the inventor of urban sportswear and, subsequently, defined as the most influential man in 90s men's fashion. Creator of brands such as Stone Island, C.P. Company, Boneville and Left Hand, Massimo, as Simon Collins, Dean of the School of Fashion at Parsons The New School for Design in New York, writes: "... He was one of the most important people in Twentieth Century fashion. He pioneered processes, materials and details that have now become standard in the lexicon of fashion design. From his first job as a graphic designer he took techniques and concepts from one media and applied them to another with blisteringly creative results. He gave men luxury masculine sportswear."
Massimo Osti (1943-2005) lived in Bologna. Orphaned as an infant he began to work at a young age, while at the same time obtaining a diploma in graphic design. The success of his designs for a t-shirt line led him to abandon his graphic work in favour of fashion. Indefatigable researcher, he made profound innovations to the textile and fashion industries. Achievements recognised in 1987 when a retrospective exhibition was dedicated to his work in the Berlin Reichstag, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the textile industry. He also dedicated himself to political and social causes. After the global success of his most famous brands in the 80s and 90s, he continued, tireless and tenacious, to design and launch new lines right up to his premature passing. Garments designed by Massimo Osti are today considered collector's items.
Daniela Facchinato, wife of Massimo Osti, is a photographer and journalist who collaborated with Edizioni Condè Nast for ten years and shot, amongst others the international campaigns of C.P. Company, Boneville and Stone Island. She has published books, portraits, reportages and album covers. In 1999 she opened the photography gallery "Daniela Facchinato Image Gallery" which immediately became a reference point for contemporary Italian photography.
Massimo Osti (1943-2005) lived in Bologna. Orphaned as an infant he began to work at a young age, while at the same time obtaining a diploma in graphic design. The success of his designs for a t-shirt line led him to abandon his graphic work in favour of fashion. Indefatigable researcher, he made profound innovations to the textile and fashion industries. Achievements recognised in 1987 when a retrospective exhibition was dedicated to his work in the Berlin Reichstag, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the textile industry. He also dedicated himself to political and social causes. After the global success of his most famous brands in the 80s and 90s, he continued, tireless and tenacious, to design and launch new lines right up to his premature passing. Garments designed by Massimo Osti are today considered collector's items.
Daniela Facchinato, wife of Massimo Osti, is a photographer and journalist who collaborated with Edizioni Condè Nast for ten years and shot, amongst others the international campaigns of C.P. Company, Boneville and Stone Island. She has published books, portraits, reportages and album covers. In 1999 she opened the photography gallery "Daniela Facchinato Image Gallery" which immediately became a reference point for contemporary Italian photography.