Stone Island is an Italian luxury

fashion house Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and plac ...

specialized in men's apparel, outerwear, and accessories headquartered in Ravarino, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Its core branding includes a

Nautical star The nautical star is a symbolic star representing the North Star, associated with the sea services of the United States armed forces and with tattoo culture. It is usually rendered as a five-pointed star in dark and light shades counterchanged in ...

and compass, both of which is printed or overlaid atop a button-on cloth badge with green, yellow, and black detailing. Founded in 1982 by

Massimo Osti Massimo Osti (1944–2005) was an Italian garment engineer and fashion designer, most famous as the founder of the apparel brands Stone Island and C.P. Company. Osti's products were a mix of his own innovations and design ideas he got from studyi ...

, the brand became popular during the 1980s and 1990s in Europe and Japan, and during the 2010s, in the U.S. and Canada. Stone Island uses trademark reflective fabric,

dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular ...

compounds, and surface treatments to produce garments. It was acquired by Italian fashion house

Moncler Moncler S.p.A. is an Italian luxury fashion house specialized in ready-to-wear outerwear headquartered in Milan, Italy. Since its start as a down jacket boutique, Moncler has expanded to design vests, raincoats, windbreakers, knitwear, leather ...

in 2020 for €1.15 billion. It is a global staple of

youth subculture Youth subculture is a youth-based subculture with distinct styles, behaviors, and interests. Youth subcultures offer participants an identity outside of that ascribed by social institutions such as family, work, home and school. Youth subcultures ...

as characterized by Italian ''

Paninaro Paninaro (; feminine: ''Paninara''; plural: ''Paninari''; feminine plural: ''Paninare'') is a term that identifies a phenomenon born in the eighties in Milan which then spread first in the Milanese metropolitan area and then throughout Italy and t ...

'', English

football casuals The casual subculture is a subsection of association football culture, football culture that is typified by football hooliganism, hooliganism and the wearing of expensive designer clothing (known as "clobber"). The subculture originated in the U ...

, British, American, and Canadian hip hop culture, as well as world-wide streetwear.

History

Designer

founded Stone Island in 1982, in Ravarino, Italy. He founded the brand to compliment his flagship label,

C.P. Company C.P. Company is an Italian apparel brand founded in 1971 by designer Massimo Osti. Initially called Chester Perry by the suggestion of his fashion entrepreneur friend Corrado Zannoni, its name was changed in 1978 following a lawsuit by Chester Bar ...

, which he started in 1971. Osti sold 50% of Stone Island to GFT (Gruppo Finanziario Tessile) in 1983, before selling the remaining half to GFT in 1991. He left the company in 1994 and was succeeded by Paul Harvey as head designer from 1996 to 2008. GFT sold Stone Island in 1993 to Italian businessman Carlo Rivetti, who combined the label with C.P. Company Sportswear Company SpA. Stone Island rapidly became popular during the 1990s in Europe and Japan, and during the 2010s, in the U.S. and Canada. In 2017, Singaporean sovereign wealth fund

Temasek Holdings Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited, or simply Temasek, is a Singaporean state holding company owned by the Government of Singapore. Incorporated on 25 June 1974, Temasek owns and manages a total of US$496.59 billion (S$671 billion) in assets u ...

bought out a 30% stake in Stone Island valued at €345 million. Three years later, Italian fashion house

bought a majority stake in Stone Island for a reported €1.15 billion. Throughout the 2010s and 2020s, Stone Island has collaborated with several design companies such as Supreme,

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior (stylized DIOR), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds ...

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...

, and

New Balance New Balance Athletics, Inc. (NB), best known as simply New Balance, is one of the world's major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the multinational corporation was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch ...

, among others.

Brand identity

The name Stone Island is derived from Polish-British pre-modernist writer

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and short story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in t ...

's novels wherein the words "stone" and "island" appear most frequently. According to founder Massimo Osti, his novels' exploration of "boats and sea" moved him to create a brand with " new sensibility oriented to science instead of fashion". The brand emphasizes

anti-fashion Anti-fashion is an umbrella term for various styles of dress which are explicitly contrary to the fashion of the day. Anti-fashion styles may represent an attitude of indifference or may arise from political or practical goals which make fashi ...

, prioritizing function over form. The logo references a

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

, affixed with a

nautical star The nautical star is a symbolic star representing the North Star, associated with the sea services of the United States armed forces and with tattoo culture. It is usually rendered as a five-pointed star in dark and light shades counterchanged in ...

. It is recognizable by the use of a cloth badge that features the compass design on the left side of a garment. Stone Island focuses on technical apparel research, development, and manufacturing. It is known for its approach to fabrication through a range of

techniques and surface treatments. These include the use of ''Raso Gommato'' in 1983, thermosensitive fabric in 1987, rubber wool in 1987, and reflective fabric in 1991. Originally, the patches were green edged, but from around the year 2000 onwards they became black edged.

Subculture

Stone Island was initially popular with "wealthy middle-class teens" in Italy, but by the mid-1980s, the brand had gained popularity among the football casual subculture in the United Kingdom. As a result, the brand became associated with football hooliganism, and some venues and pubs banned customers who wore the brand. The brand's association with football hooliganism was reinforced by several films released in the early 2000s, including '' The Football Factory'' and '' Green Street'', which featured prominent characters wearing the brand. Its presence in the U.S. and Canada starting in the early 2000s was bolstered by streetwear and

hip hop culture Hip hop or hip-hop is a culture and art movement that was created by African Americans, Latino Americans and Caribbean Americans in the Bronx, New York City. Hip hop culture is characterized by four key elements: rapping, DJing and turntablis ...

. Its largest consumer base was noted by ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' as being "Milanese youth, English football fanatics, athletes, and celebrities". British magazine ''

i-D ''i-D'' is a British bimonthly magazine published by Vice Media, dedicated to fashion, music, art and youth culture. ''i-D'' was founded by designer and former ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' art director Terry Jones (i-D), Terry Jones in 1980. The ...

'' described Stone Island as a high-end

status symbol A status symbol is a visible, external symbol of one's social position, an indicator of economic or social status. Many luxury goods are often considered status symbols. ''Status symbol'' is also a sociological term – as part of social and soci ...

among youth who show off the compass logo in a practice known as "getting the badge in".

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
Clothing companies established in 1982 Italian companies established in 1982 Clothing brands of Italy High fashion brands

History

Brand identity

Subculture

See also

References

External links