With a wealth of experience picked up while building a range of celebrated brands – chiefly Stone Island and C.P. Company, Massimo Osti launched ST95 in – unsurprisingly – 1995. Having stepped away from C.P. Company a couple of years earlier, Osti embarked on perhaps the most interesting spell of his design career, working with numerous brands and on his own projects. Left Hand and ST95 marked the beginning of this, and while neither brand enjoyed the longevity of his previous work, this was a very busy period for Osti characterised by shorter projects.
As Osti’s journey took him into design partnerships with brands like Superga and Levi’s, ST95’s potential was never fully realised. When he passed away in 2005, so too did the chance of brands like Left Hand and ST95 returning, or so we thought.
Anyone wanting to resurrect these brands would always face the challenge of following in the footsteps of a legend that has only grown greater since his death. As ST95 lay dormant, the legacy of its founder continued to grow, with his son Lorenzo now president at C.P. Company.
UK-based Left Hand Studios acquired both Left Hand and ST95 last year with the desire to reimagine both brands as if they’d never been away, which is clearly the right route. This can’t be too retro but it cannot lose contact with its roots either. What would ST95 look like today if it had continued on its journey?
Award-winning designer Christopher Raeburn took on the task of creating the new generation of ST95, bringing contemporary thinking to a brand with a short but impactful track record.
The next step of that journey begins now, as the brand lands in store with a hand-picked selection of UK retailers, such as Hip Store, Tessuti, Yards and Wellgosh.
More to come next year.
