‘No smog, for protection, a shell for consciousness,’ ran the original tagline for the Metropolis jacket by C.P. Company, part of the Italian brand’s seminal Urban Protection range first released in 1999. Designed by then-creative director Morena Ferrari, each piece was primed for the demands of turn-of-the-millennium city life – from a jacket which warned its wearer of air contamination via a flashing green-to-red LED light, to pieces crafted from dynavil, a fabric which is water, wind, oil and tear proof (other garments were created with built-in torches, travels pillows and even a scooter). The Metropolis parka jacket itself came complete with a removal ‘smog mask’, and a multitude of other functional features, pockets and compartments.
C.P. Company Metropolis collection: made for city living
C.P. Company Metropolis Series A/W 2022
The Metropolis serves as inspiration for a new collection of the same name, released by C.P. Company this month. Drawing inspiration from the original Urban Protection range – which the company deem ‘true objects of industrial design’ – the various pieces utilise the innovative fabrications and manufacturing techniques long at the heart of the label to create a collection which reimagines a uniform for city living in the 2020s. C.P. Company say that they hope the collection will ‘reduce the stress of urban life’.
Spanning dynatec parkas – a lighter version of the original dynavil used in the inaugural Urban Protection collection – multi-pocket overshirts, and soft-shell jackets, crafted from recycled nylon, the Metropolis collection is defined by ‘minimalist design’ and utilitarian features, alongside signature C.P. Company branding (labels inside denote the various fabrications and features). Other innovations include a modular pocket system which utilises seamless technology for ‘optimum comfort and functionality’, while other garments are playful hybrids – one jacket, for example, comes with the sleeves of a knitted sweater for a unique two-in-one.
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