Kappa (company)

Kappa is an Italian clothing company that started as a sock and underwear manufacturer in 1916 in Turin.

Logo

Known as the Omini, is a silhouette of a man (left) and woman (right) sitting back to back in the nude.

Created in 1969 by mere accident. After a photo shoot for a bathing suit ad, a man and a woman were sitting back-to-back, naked, with the outlines of their bodies traced by the back lighting. The photographers knew they had something and the idea grew into what is now the logo for Robe di Kappa, or the Kappa brand which was later attributed to the active and sports wear. Symbolizes the mutual support between Man and Woman, and their completion.

Company structure

Kappa and its sister brands are owned by the holding company BasicNet.

Brands

• Kappa
• Robe di Kappa or RdK
• Jesus Jeans
• Superga
• K-Way

Kappa is a corporate sponsor of world football; their boots are worn on many pitches by footballers throughout the world. The company also is the current kit supplier for the Italy national rugby union team.

Popular culture

In the United Kingdom, Kappa-brand clothing, and their distinctive white trainer, are associated with the chav subculture, so called Kappa Slappers. The term comes from British magazine Viz, which includes a character called Tasha Slappa, an exaggerated teenage female chav, the first appearance of which was under the title "Kappa Slappa". This was changed after the Kappa company filed a lawsuit against Viz, specifically because the strip implied their clothing was highly flammable. The "Vicky Pollard" character from Little Britain, whose catchphrase is "Yeah, but no, but yeah…" wears Kappa clothes. This links back in with the Chav connection.

"Fake" Kappa wear has become all the rage in mainland China with a significant percent of the population wearing imitation wear.