BRAND 101: STONE ISLAND

It's been a minute, but we're back to drop some valuable knowledge on a brand that, despite only recently becoming one of your favourites, has been an upscale name in streetwear and fashion for decades. Stone Island's unparalleled cult status and industry-best innovation has without a doubt taken the label to heights inimaginable for most brands. 

Stone Island, nicknamed "Stoney", has set the bar high in garment innovation and technicality for the rest of the industry, to say the least. Their dying, washing, and fading treatments involve a thorough repetition process that makes for a unique result with each garment. A catalyst in the making of Stone Island's famed production technique would be the "Tella Stella" fabric; a blended bi-color cotton that's finished using an "on garment" dying process. Tella Stella's weft and warp weave had a strong ressemblance to military style fabrics, and C.P. Company, the company from which CEO Carlo Rivetti birthed Stone Island, didn't feel this type of material and allure fit with their DNA. Then came the creation of a subdivision brand named Stone Island Marina; so, basically, Stone Island's technical innovation was a thing before Stone Island even was - Crazy. 

Surely, such detail and attention devoted into garment fabrication ought to result in something functional, wearable, and, above all, stylish. While the brand clearly aims for a balance between style and function, we'd be remiss to not mention the level at which they operate both. Take the Membrana Blouson, for instances, a jacket with geometrical design elements as well as breathable, water resistant, and thermal capabilities so you never have to worry about style or protection ever again. Stone Island outerwear is also acclaimed for it's storage elements; with that you have Zipper fastening for days. Whether it's hidden, visible, diagonal, or dual-closure, some aren't even made to be practical, you just place your hands inside and chill.

If you ever underestimated the versatility of Stone Island, now's your chance to reevaluate your sources. While the brand's known for its forward-thinking, cutting edge pieces, they're equally acclaimed for their clean-cut classic styles. Moreover, they're a benchmark in both areas of fashion. Different finishes like metal, reflective, and heat reactive are often paired with vivid colours like neon yellows, greens, and oranges on their cutting edge designs. For a more refined, mature look, Stone Island's enhanced materials like Supima cotton and Tella Stella allow for the utmost premium take on classic styles, and, more often than not, you'll find these styles in soft dark colours, like brown, navy, and grey. 

While Stone Island may originally be from Italy, they were unmistakably adopted by the United Kingdom. The brand and their iconic compass emblem patch have become somewhat of a standard in the UK during the early 90s; the football culture welcomed the brand at open arms thanks to their technical and functional features that proved its worth under the country's cold climate. Nowadays, the compass arm patch is getting more and more exposure in North America thanks to industry meccas Nike and Supreme as well as a few of your favourite rappers.

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