Stone Island, sporting innovation.
Recognisable by their military badges, Stone Island jackets combine style that's sporty with fabrics that are innovating. For over 30 years now, the Italian fashion house has been creating a range of clothes mainly for men, with pieces that have become iconic such as the Ice Jacket, which changes colour depending on the outside temperature. Accessories, as well as several items for women and children, have gradually been added to the brand's wardrobe.
From the factory to the walk-in wardrobe.
Stone Island came into being in 1983 based on an original concept: creating sports clothes from a tarpaulin designed to protect lorries. Massimo Osti, the ingenious designer behind the idea, liked the robustness and look of the material, that he softened up with a stone wash. For his first collection, he produced 7 military-looking overcoats, all aimed at a masculine clientele. In parallel, he continued experimenting in his factory, in a quest for ever more innovating textiles. In 1990, he left the company and owner Carlo Rivetti set out to find a new designer. He eventually chose Paul Harvey, whose creative sensitivity was in keeping with the vision of Stone Island. This change of designer would give rise to collections with more urban finishings, which would help give the brand a more modern image. The resulting coats still had the initial allure as seen in the cut and the badge, the fur, the hoods and the collars, but the padding and prints gave them a much more contemporary feel.
If Stone Island collections were originally only made up of coats and jackets for men, the label subsequently launched products for women and children, together with accessories and fabric bags. Today, the traditional jackets can be found alongside backpacks, saddle bags, Stone Island barrel bags which come in many different shapes and sizes, wool hats and scarfs, gloves, caps and also belts.
From the sports field to the tailor's workshop.
Stone Island has appeal, and not only for sports fans. In 2016, the label paired up with Dormeuil, a company specialising in luxury textiles, which was supplier notably to Italian couturier Francesco Smalto. Together, the two brands created a motif - presented as the encounter between Stone Island's wind rose and Scottish tartan Dormeuil used to produce clothes, mixing a classical inspiration and urban style. The same year, for the 30th anniversary of the Windrunner, Nike's iconic sports jacket, Stone Island crafted a fabric and helped create a practical, lightweight piece, given the name NikeLab x Stone Island Windrunner.
If coats and jackets with a feel of the military or navy represent a large part of Stone Island's offering, over time the label has also developed, unveiling a few iconic pieces with a more urban look: