In 1916 'Società Anonima Calzificio Torinese', a company producing socks and underwear and subsequently known as M.C.T., is set up in Turin.
The firm's initial trademark 'Aquila' eventually becomes 'Kappa'. The late 1960's mark an important turning point for the business, as the youth casual culture explodes, and the informal unisex market takes off. M.C.T. is ahead of the rest, welcoming the new spirit of the age, and diversifying its product range by creating the trademarks 'Robe di kappa' and 'Jesus Jeans'.
The new products are innovative, so too is the advertising language created by Oliviero Toscani: combined together they gain extraordinary success
In the late 70's the repositioning of the company proves to be a wise move and 'Kappa Sport', later known simply as 'Kappa', becomes a new leading trademark for the youth market.
At the end of the 1970's Kappa explodes as one of the leading names in sport.
It's the season of important technical sponsorships and Kappa kicks off with an early start.The first to sponsor an Italian soccer team, Juventus, Kappa is soon associated with many other brilliant teams: A.C. Milan, U.C. Sampdoria, A.S. Roma, Ajax A.J.- all winners of the most important trophies.
Kappa gets top marks in track and field events too and becomes the technical sponsor of the USA National Team.
It is with Kappa that the American athletes partecipate in the Los Angeles Olympics (1984), in the Seoul Olympics (1988) and in the Goodwill Games in Moscow (1986) and Seattle (1990), winning an incredible amount of medals and consecrating mythical names such as Carl Lewis, Edwin Moses, and Florence Griffith-Joyner.
The Company is now among the leading sportswear brands in soccer.
After 20 years, Juventus still plays with Kappa, and more than 30 teams worldwide do the same, including Real Betìs, Athletic Club Bilbao, Porto, Red Star Belgrade, Vasco da Gama, South African National Team and Jamaica National Team.
The latest advertising campaigns for Robe di Kappa show Juventus coach Marcello Lippi and Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve pictured by OlivieroToscani.
They are two sport legends which embody the 'People on the move' philosophy, the spirit of all of the Kappa teams around the world.