Kappa (company)

Infobox Company
company_name = BasicNet S.p.A.
company_
company_type = Private
foundation = 1916
location = flagicon|Italy Turin, Italy
key_people = • Marco Daniele Boglione, Administration Council President and Massimo Boidi, President
industry = Textile
products = Clothing, Sportswear, Footwear
revenue = 16 millions
homepage = [http://www.kappa.com/ www.kappa.com]

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

Logo

A silhouette of a relaxed 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 women 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 latter attributed to the active and sports wear.http://www.kappastore.com/UK/

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.

Football teams who have Kappa as kit sponsor

National teams

* Burkina Faso
* Jamaica
* U.S. Virgin Islands

Club teams

Europe

* SK Brann
* Vålerenga Fotball (starts on January 2009)
* Wacker Tirol
* PFC Nesebar
* Rijeka
* Baník Ostrava
* Viljandi Tulevik
* Maccabi Netanya
* FC Honka
* FC Metz
* Le Mans
* FC Nantes (starts on July 2008)
* FC København
* SV Werder Bremen
* SG Olympia Leipzig
* 1. FC Kaiserslautern
* 1. FC Mülheim
* Torino F.C.
* A.S. Roma
* Sampdoria
* Feyenoord Rotterdam (until 2009)
* FC Utrecht (starts on July 2009)
* CS Otopeni
* Partizan Belgrade
* Real Betis
* Bursaspor

Africa

* FAR Rabat
* Silver Stars
* Club Sportif Sfaxien

Americas

* Barracas Bolívar
* Deportivo Armenio
* Excursionistas
* CA Huracán
* Platense
* Racing de Córdoba
* Rosario Central
* San Martín de Tucumán
* Sportivo Italiano
* Unión de Santa Fe
* Unión de Sunchales
* Botafogo
* CSA
* União
* Rio Branco-AC
* Deportivo Temuco
* Deportivo Pereira
* Arabe Unido
*flagicon|Panama Atletico Veraguense
* Brujas F.C.
* Olimpia Asunción
* Cerro Porteño
* Defensor Sporting
* Montevideo Wanderers
* Racing Club de Montevideo

Asia

* Changsha Ginde
* Zhejiang Lvcheng
* Qingdao Zhongneng
* Tuen Mun Progoal
* JEF United
* Tokyo Verdy
* Consadole Sapporo
* Pohang Steelers
* Home United FC

Rugby Union

National

* 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, cite news |first=Andrew |last=Billen |title=Common problem |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/200502280039 |format=HTML |publisher=New Statesman |date=2005-02-28 |accessdate=2007-02-24] , 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.Fact|date=June 2008 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.

ee also

*Fila
*Lotto
*Fashion victim
*Diadora

References

External links

*http://www.kappa.com
*http://www.jesusjeans.com
*http://www.basicnet.com