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The Stone Island brand is rooted in history, culture, and unquestionably outstanding design. It is now known throughout the world for its material innovation, but it is also the centre of real UK street style.
Massimo Osti, a pioneering fashion designer and fabric engineer from Bologna, founded Stone Island in the northern Italian town of Ravarino in 1982. It was created with a strong philosophy of research, experimentation, and function and was named after Joseph Conrad's maritime tales. Osti not only created fashion, he also engineered it. He devised countless new textiles, finishing techniques, and dyeing procedures, expanding the range of possible garments. The brand released thermo-sensitive sweaters that change colour with the temperature and a “liquid reflective jacket” which reflects light off tiny glass microspheres that are painted onto its surface by hand, then dried out in an oven.
Stone Island's subcultural relevance as a component of the British football terraces of the 1980s is just as fascinating as its innovative clothing design. Around that time, British football teams were beginning to have more regular success in European competitions, which resulted in large numbers of ardent young fans frequently travelling to exotic European locations. They would encounter various fashions worn by the youth of those nations while travelling, as well as uncommon brands that had not yet reached England's terraces. High-end, continental sportswear companies like Lacoste, Stone Island, Sergio Tacchini, and Fila saw tremendous success.
An 80s Milanese youth subculture known as the "Paninaro," who got their name from the panini bars they congregated at in their hometown, were the first Stone Island fans. Their fashion was influenced by an odd mashup of mod and 50s americana, with athletic Italian brand labels added on top. The devoted British football fans transported the Paninaro look back to the UK and appropriated it, creating their own subculture around it. The movement was dubbed the "terrace casuals" movement.
Stone Island became the key brand in the terrace casual look in 1992. Following England's exit from the group stage of the European Championship in Sweden, the supporters reportedly ransacked the Genius clothing store in Sweden and stole a large quantity of "Stoney" to bring home. According to legend, this occasion established it as a cornerstone of casual culture.
Stone Island maintained its position despite changes in subcultures over time thanks to trends like the rave and acid house scene. But the brand's appeal across the pond and into the public was only increased in 2014 thanks to a partnership with American streetwear juggernaut Supreme. Stone Island became less of a subculture and more of a cultural phenomenon as a result of the use of its signature compass tag on the left sleeve by rappers like A$AP Nast, Travis Scott, and Drake. Celebrities have fought over who first found Stoney, and the popularity of UK grime music has only increased the brand's significance.
Stone Island has represented a variety of things over the course of its existence, including a practice of material experimentation, a subculture of ardent football fans, and a high-end luxury Italian fashion brand. One of the most desirable fashion brands in the world, it is admired by all people and has the capacity to change with the times. In terms of both technology and culture, Stone Island is constantly evolving.
