Next Autumn winter see’s the 30th birthday of Stone Island. It’s difficult to imagine that the brand has been around for such a long time. We started selling the brand back in 1991. We were instantly attracted to the badge on the sleeve and the cross over military/urban designs, little has changed, Carlo Rivetti (designer) has taken this brand into the future with fabric technology you would expect to find at NASA. Next season sees a capsule package which includes the ‘Tela Stella’ jacket……. a brief history follows……
One day a special material arrived: a heavy lorry tarpaulin. It was red on one side and blue on the other. What could be done with that? In order to transform it into an item of clothing, it was put into a washing machine with water and pumice stone and washed, for hours, in order to soften its structure, subduing it.
The first prototype had an incredible feel……….
Stone Island ’982 ’983 Tela Stella
As a result, a decision was made to create seven jackets in that unique fabric, known as “Tela Stella”, and to give the collection a name: Stone Island. Stone Island had a marine feel, reminiscent of oilskins that have been corroded by the sea, as well as a military feel, arising from the background of research undertaken up until that time. The name too, evoked the love for the sea and the treatment used to create the garments. The badge – the embroidered fabric label that has distinguished the brand since the first season – held the Compass Rose and was displayed like an insignia on a military garment. It was an immediate success. A star was born
30 years - 30 ways to wear !!
