A history of initiative, endeavour and enterprise

1915 - ITALY DECLARES WAR ON AUSTRIA

1916 - THE ORIGINS

Due to Abramo Vitale's decision to marry Antonia Cesarina Mariani, a Catholic woman, he was obliged by his Jewish father, Davide Vitale, to choose between his family run company and his wife. Hence, he accepted his portion of patrimony and, along with Guglielmo Marengo and Ettore Gaetano Donn, on 12th November 1916, he set up the company named Società Anonima "Calzificio Torinese. Thanks to the machinery for cotton weaving, given by customers as a sort of debt repayment, the company started their production of socks using the facilities of their own farmhouse.

1917 - CALZIFICIO TORINESE IS BORN

"1st January 1917 start the activities of 'Calzificio Torinese'  founded with the object of the manufacture and sale of socks, costituted 12th November 1916, in the presence of the notary public. The capital is set at lire 400 thousand divided into 4000 shares of lire 100 each to the bearer". (Company establishment act No. 1371, registered 19th December 1916 at the office of the clerk of Turin court).

1939 - THE SECOND WORLD WAR BREAKS OUT

Government supply increases and knitwear is added to the production of socks. For the first time the products bear the trademark.

1943 - BOMBING RAZES CALZIFICIO TORINESE TO THE GROUND

The Allies Forces bomb the factory, considered a legitimate target because it supplies the Italian army.

1951- THE REBIRTH

The new Calzificio Torinese head office is inaugurated, still active today. With the collapse of military orders, the company turns to the convenience goods market.

1955 -THE COMPANY EXPANDS

Following the merger with the Manifattura Tessuti Maglierie SpA, whose chairmanis David Vitale, Calzificio Torinese changes its name to "Maglificio CalzificioTorinese".

1956 - AN ERROR CREATES THE TRADEMARK

Customers return a stock of socks due to a manufacturing error. Intending to guarantee the product new credibility, the Vitale family label the new production with the monogram 'K-Kontroll ', to indicate the maximum qualitative rigour according to the German standards.

1958 - EVERYONE WANTS AQUILA SOCKS WITH THE K

The Kappa Tradebark is born, becoming the leading socks and underwear producer on the Italian market.

1968 - A YOUNG MAN SHOWS HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD BY SIMPLY WISHING IT PASSIONATELY

1968 - THE MILITARY LOOK, MAURIZIO VITALE'S FIRST GREAT INTUITION

The young entrepreneur sees John Lennon, during a speech, put on the army shirt of soldier who feel in Vietnam. He then dyes all Kappa underwear shirts army green, enriching them with armorial bearings and symbols, and makes his presence felt on the dawning informal wear scene.

1969 - THE WINNING LOGO

During a photo shooting for a Beatrix swimsuit catalog, in a backlighting shot of the silhouette of a boy and girl sitting back to back, Maurizio Vitale spots the image destined to become Robe di Kappa's crisp, neat logo.

1970 - «SIMPLE STUFF FOR GUYS THAT WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD»

Robe di Kappa starts advertising.

1971 - MANY PRETENDERS FOR THE NAME THAT SPLITS ITALY IN TWO

Many claim to have suggested Maurizio Vitale the name for the "Jesus" brand. The genial intuition is infact from Oliviero Toscani, inspired by the succesful musical "Jesus Christ Superstar", playing on Broadway that year.

1972 - MAURIZIO VITALE FREES HIS SECOND GREAT PASSION: ADVERTISING

Oliviero Toscani's provocative photos and advertising claims of Emanuele Pirella scandalizse conservative Italy but gain the supportof the irreverent Italy of the young, who wear their jeans like a second skin.

1973 - TWO FORCES FACE UP TO EACH OTHER

The court judge Vincenzo Salmeri orders the removal of hundreds of JesusJeans posters because they "go against good taste and are religiously offensive".

1974 - THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT REBELS AGAINST THEE «JESUS JEANS» MORAL PHENOMENON

The advertising posters also attract the attention of the radical feminists; so much so that censure labels appear above them saying: "This advertisement offends women." The controversy sparks off an unexpected and growing interest in the jeans that will lie behind the brand's extraordinary mass success.

1978 - SPORTSWEAR

Marco Boglione, Robe di Kappa's young sales manager,realises that look concept strictly unisex is beginning to fade: there is a growing need for young people to reinterpret freedom through clothing and this convinces Maurizio Vitale to create a new market segment, "sportswear".

1979 - SPORT SPONSORSHIP: A STRATEGY THAT TAKES MAGLIFICIO'S EXPANSION TOWARDS INTERNATIONAL TARGETS

Maurizio Vitale is the firt in Italy to sponsor a football team, fully aware of the importance this sport has for the masses.

1980 - THE URSS BECOMES «JESURSS»

Maglificio Calzificio Torinese profits from the American boycott of the Russian Olympics winning the very important licensing contract for the production of Jesus Jeans in Russia, cancelled by Levis for political reasons.

1981 - «THE KING OF JESUS JEANS» LANDS IN THE UNITED STATES AND SPONSORS THE COUNTRY'S TRACK-AND-FIELD ATHLETICS TEAM

Maurizio Vitale signed a million dollar contract on a napkin; athletes such as Carl Lewis and Edwin Moses, champions destined to be cheered by crowds in the world's most important stadiums, will wear the Kappa logo.

1984 - THE LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS: TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN TRIUMPH

The official suits are designed with the advice of a man from NASA, Dr. Kuznetz, who, inspired by space suits, designs the suits in silver to reflect light and to keep the athlete's body cooler. The shoes, on the other hand, are created by the italian designer Giorgietto Giugiaro.

1985 - WHEN THE ADVENTURE OF THE FOOTBALL SPORT MERCHANDISE COMPANY STARTED

Marco Boglione, who had been working since 1976 with Maurizio Vitale, left the company named Maglificio CalzificioTorinese. Firmly supported by this latter to follow his attitude as an entrepreneur, Marco Boglione set up together with his friend Luciano Antonino, the "Football Sports Merchandise" company, founded in 1983, which has nowadays turned to be the "BasicNet".

1987 - THE END OF AN EPOCH

Maurizio Vitale dies; illness takes away a man who, with his vocation to pour enthusiasm into a situation to grasp its essence, knew how to break the barriers of a still rigid italian mentality with is innovative ideas. Maurizio Vitale's brother, Edoardo, takes over the company.

1988 - THE SEOUL OLYMPICS

1994 - 14^TH JANUARY 1994 MAGLIFICIO CALZIFICIO TORINESE IS DECLARED BANKRUPT BY THE COURT OF TURIN

With Football Sport Merchandise, Marco Boglione takes over all its assets. “Slowly slowly, I’m in a hurry�: the BasicNet project is born and there is the relaunching in record time of Maglificio Calzificio Torinese’s business and trademark.

1996 - BENETTON ENTERS

The BasicNet project intrigues and convinces one of the great names of Italian industry: with 21 Investimenti S.p.A. Alessandro Benetton became Marco Boglione's joint partner and the ptroject takes off.

1999 - AN OLD DREAM IS REALISED

15th january 1999, BasicNet wins the contest for the technical sponsorship of the FIGC - the Italian Football Federation. Kappa signs a four-year contract to supply the national team with its own technical material.

1999 - 17^TH NOVEMBER 1999 BASICNET DEBUTS ON THE MILAN STOCK EXCHANGE

2002 - TURIN TOWN COUNCIL DEDICATES A SITE IN THE CITY TO ITS ENTREPRENEUR

Largo Maurizio Vitale: "the man who wrote a chapter in the history of our city, reflecting, a quarter of a century ago, on how today, with effort, one can strive to plan the future of Turin". (Extract from the speech of Fiorenzo Alfieri, the City of Torino Deputy Major for Culture, during the road dedication ceremony).

2004 - BASICNET ACQUIRES THE K-WAY BRAND

2007 - BASICNET ACQUIRES THE SUPERGA BRAND