The Stone Island compass is one of streetwear’s most enduring emblems, best known for appearing as a ‘badge’ on the left sleeve of the Italian label’s garments. Conceived by Stone Island founder Massimo Osti in 1982, the motif was drawn from the ‘wind rose’ compass on the pioneering designer’s own wooden sailboat and chosen as a symbol of ‘exploration and innovation’ (the brand remains best-known for its experiments in garment dyeing and fabric innovation).
In the decades since, the Stone Island badge has become a pledge of allegiance: from football stadiums to nightclubs, it has come to represent a countercultural impulse that has long run through the brand’s fanbase. It is why rare versions of the Compass – whether in denim, monochrome or mesh, or those made for specific occasions and anniversaries – can sell for hundreds of pounds on resale sites (Stone Island is known for its legion of devotees, certain of whom have an encyclopedic knowledge of the brand’s back catalogue).
Pledge your allegiance with the Stone Island Bunney pin
There are five versions for five cities, including Los Angeles
A new collaboration with London-based jewellery brand Bunney, though, provides perhaps the most precious iteration of the Compass yet – an 18ct-gold pin, evocative of the enamel football pins collected by fans to show their devotion to a particular team. Coinciding with the arrival of the FIFA World Cup 2026, which takes place across North America from 11 June (matches are split between the USA, Canada and Mexico), Stone Island says the badge celebrates its link with football culture.
Bunney, which was founded by Andrew Bunney in 2009 and creates fine jewellery in collaboration with craftspeople across England, has conceived the pin as a collectable object. There are five versions in total, with a different city debossed on each: London, New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Toronto. Ten pins of each city are available, bar Los Angeles, for which there are 15. Measuring 18mm in diameter, they come in a display box and are hand-stamped with the Bunney logo and a hallmark of Birmingham, UK, where they were produced.
The Stone Island Bunney pins are available in selected Stone Island stores (New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Toronto), Dover Street Market London and Los Angeles, and Toronto’s Better Gift Shop.