Italy, 1969, and, although they don’t know it yet, two models are just about to get naked and become famous. Or at least, their silhouettes are.
The story behind Kappa’s legendary ‘Omni’ logo perfectly encapsulates the Italian sportswear brand’s journey from humble Piedmont sock-maker to international fashion icon. If mistakes happen, Kappa make the most of them. When unexpected opportunities arrive, they are seized.
As Kappa, themselves, say, ‘the now world-renowned ‘Omini’ logo was accidentally created. Photographer, Sergio Druetto, captured the image of a naked male and female model sitting back-to-back. The dramatic silhouette was created due to his camera flash jamming.’
And Druetto’s inspired mistake is not the only calamity Kappa have turned to their advantage.
The history of Kappa goes all the way back to 1916 in Turin, Italy when Abramo Vitale began making socks from his farmhouse under the name of Societa Anonima “Calzificio Torinese”.
According to trend mag, Sneaker Freaker, the company’s trajectory began to change dramatically in 1956, after there were quality control issues with batches of socks: ‘They “began tagging their pieces with a bold ‘K’ – a nod to the German ‘Kontroll’ – to guarantee the quality of its products. The simple tag spiked a boom in sales.’
Then they renamed the brand after the K. And ‘Kappa’ (the Greek letter for ‘K’) was born.
After that, they were on a roll. Sneaker Freaker again, “Bolstered by the provocative advertisements of the 1970s, Olympic success in the 1980s, and lucrative football partnerships across Europe, Kappa quickly transcended any one definition, the head-turning ‘Omini’ logo adopted by hip hop visionaries like Frank Ocean and the trailblazing Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy.”
In fairly short order, Kappa became both achingly hip and hugely profitable.
Today, they are owned by BasicNet S.p.A., an Italian holding company that also owns K-Way, Superga, and Sebago. In the first half of 2024, BasicNet S.p.A.'s consolidated revenues were €173.9 million, sales of the Kappa brand making up a large part of that.
And it’s safe to say, they don’t just sell socks.
“We pride ourselves on being a heritage sportswear brand that simultaneously exists in sport and lifestyle,” Dre Hayes, President of Kappa USA told pop-culture bible, One37pm. “Kappa has the unique ability to touch a wide range of subcultures across sports, music, art, fashion, dance, automotive, and others.”
If sport has a general lesson for us, it has to be something like victory being gained by the lessons we take from defeat. Fitting then, that this is also the story behind Italy’s favourite sportswear brand