Review of C.P. Company Spring 2023 Ad Campaign with Photographer Neil Bedford with models Diego & Leo, Gabriel Moses, Sofia Pace and Louison Bahurel
C.P. Company unveils the SS023 campaign. Continuing the project developed for its 50th anniversary, the brand has chosen to photograph four people (and a special young guest) – coming from different backgrounds – for whom wearing, buying, selling, studying C.P. Company has intersected with experiences of cultural interest.
Photographed by the talented Neil Bedford, the casting features people very different from each other in cultural backgrounds, age, gender and interests.
For SS023 season the four talents interpret seasonal looks with their personal style, representing the C.P. Company’s unique ability to use the materiality of clothing, to interact with social ferment and innovation. Everyone’s experiences, stories and visions reflect and intertwine in the brand’s clothes and accessories.
Diego & Leo (Father and Son – Milan)
Diego’s personal aesthetic combines influences from US East coast skate style from the 1990s, cities like Philadelphia and New York, with the English skate scene. His attention to stylistic research led him to collect not only clothes related to skateboarding but also trainers, military surplus and vintage workwear and sportswear.
As Diego prefers skating outside in the city, he’s always suffered from the cold weather during wintertime. “It’s too cold to skate just in a sweatshirt, hence my research continues in looking for light jackets with pockets and padding. And that’s how I discovered C.P. Company. I’ve seen lots videos of guys wearing them on the English scene, skaters from Blueprint and Slam City, and that’s how I fell in love with the brand.”
For the C.P. Company SS023 campaign Diego came with his five-year-old son, Leo, who often joins when his dad is skating at Milano Centrale.
Diego is wearing a workwear-inspired Ba-Tic Light jacket along with his own camouflage cargo pants and technical skate shoes. The C.P. Company fabric takes its name from the traditional batik process where multi-coloured designs are created by using wax as a resist to multiple colour over-dyeing. Diego is obsessed with functionality and details, appreciating the spacious pockets on the short jacket and the foldable fabric which offers extra protection.
Gabriel Moses ( Photographer and Videomaker – South London )
Gabriel possesses a unique photographic eye which gained him attention early on in his professional career. In 2020 Moses became the youngest photographer ever to have shot a Dazed magazine cover, and he was just 18 when he was offered his first directing role by Nike.
Looking back, Gabriel started out making YouTube videos with his friends, and has gone from strength to strength ever since. Now aged 24, Moses boasts an extensive catalogue of commercial clients, having produced work for the likes of Supreme, Beats by Dre, Burberry and Mercedes Benz. Alongside this, Gabriel has furthered is editorial output, shooting stories for a range of publications such as The Face, Harper’s Bazaar and Re-Edition.
For the C.P. Company SS023 campaign, Gabriel chose to wear a 50 Fili Tr-P jacket with a concealable hood. The jacket is crafted with a military inspired fabric, completed with a polyurethane coating which makes it iridescent and ideal for hard-wearing outerwear. It is mixed with Kan-D the proprietary monofilament flattened nylon, translucent and transparent. It’s a short and versatile jacket, with plenty of functional pockets.
Sofia Pace ( Model and Consultant – New York)
New York City is integral to Sofia and her personality. She was born and raised in downtown Manhattan, and still finds the city irresistible: “The most inspirational part about living here is energy. There is culture everywhere you turn. From the galleries to the subway station, NYC is a canvas that encourages people to express themselves.”
The multiculturalism of the city has encouraged Sofia to explore other countries and continents. “My passion is to travel the world, experience food and culture outside my own. My mom is a chef and that has ingrained a sense of curiosity when it comes to ingredients and dishes from around the world.”
Sofia discovered C.P. Company through Dan Pacitti’s extensive collection of vintage C.P. pieces, which introduced her to the brand’s wide array of experimental fabrics and unique designs. The shared Italian heritage helped as Sofia generally appreciates the excellence and craftsmanship of Italian design. The technical aspects of C.P. Company work well with her busy travel schedule and love of the outdoors: “I appreciate a multifunctional jacket that is also stylish.”
For the C.P. Company SS023 ADV campaign, Sofia opted for a Kan-D jacket with a detachable hood. The jacket is crafted using a flattened monofilament nylon yarn, which makes it reflective and transparent. The garment perfectly fits Sofia’s personal style. “I love the Kan-D jackets because the texture of the fabric is unique and different compared to other jackets I own. I enjoy incorporating men’s jackets into my everyday style, as I love a baggier fit.”
Louison Bahurel ( Graphic Designer – Marseille )
Born in Toulouse in 1997, Louison has emerged himself in the creative scene in Marseille since moving there. “It’s a uniquely diverse environment offering me a rich plurality of inspiration: The beauty of the sea and the mountains, but also the aesthetics and energy of its urban areas.”
Louison has already started giving back to the city: He’s co-realised the ‘Maillotage Collecte’ project together with graphic designer Jeanne Ostorero, where they’ve gathered a group 12 to 16-year-old kids from the Sainte-Marthe district in Marseille to participate in a workshop mixing graphic design and football. He’s also collaborated with the local Chuglu artistic collective and 12 social youth centres to prepare costumes for last year’s Carnival.
The way Louison sees it there are similarities between the visions of design that C.P. Company and himself adhere to, mainly focused on the idea of pursuing function and utility. “At C.P. Company, garments are designed as tools. I like the idea of garments helping you perform actions more easily thanks to their ergonomics and adaptability.”
In his choice of jacket for the C.P. Company SS023 ADV campaign, Louison was guided by the versatility of the Metropolis Series, picking the Gore-Tex 3L Infinium Belted Coat to wear. “As soon as I put it on, I felt comfortable and confident in my movements. There was also plenty of pockets to store my personal gear, like keys, wallet, camera, marker as well as my bike gear!”
Photographer | Neil Bedford
Models | Diego & Leo, Gabriel Moses, Sofia Pace and Louison Bahurel