Stone Island’s headquarters in Ravarino, Italy, are a laboratory for fabric: since its founding in 1982 by material innovator Massimo Osti, the label has had a unique set-up whereby prototypers, dyeing experts, technicians and fabric researchers all work together at the Modena HQ without the need for outside factories or producers.
‘There’s an interaction between the research and development department, the product, the designers, the dyeing process,’ Sasha Kanevskyi, Stone Island’s design director, told Wallpaper* when we toured the headquarters earlier this year (the Italian brand was a recipient of a Wallpaper* Design Award 2025). ‘There is not one separate department working on their own – everyone influences each other.’
‘Stone Island x New Balance 998 Made In USA’ sneaker
Revealed today (17 March 2025), the latest sneaker in a long-running collaboration with Boston sportswear brand New Balance finds its roots in a pioneering archival fabric developed by Osti in 1984. Titled ‘Raso Gommato’, the material – a satin-weave military fabric with a polyurethane coating which makes it water- and windproof – is one of Stone Island’s foundational fabrics, inspiring a cotton-canvas version for the brand’s S/S 2025 collection.
It is this new fabric which makes up the collaborative sneaker, its silhouette drawn from a design from New Balance’s own archive: the 998, first introduced in 1993 and the debut shoe to feature the brand’s Abzorb cushioning. Crafted from the hard-wearing polyurethane-coated cotton, the shoe’s colourway is inspired by those found in Stone Island’s S/S 2025 collection – namely, rich hues of mauve, plum, and ‘copper maroon’.
The design also features Stone Island’s iconic ‘Compass’ emblem on the tongue – a longtime signature found on all of the Italian brand’s garments and accessories – while a translucent sole features ‘Stone Island Product Research’, in a nod to the Ravarino HQ.
The ‘Stone Island x New Balance 998 Made In USA’ sneaker are now available (from 27 March 2025) at selected Stone Island stores – including outposts in Milan, London and Seoul – as well as the Stone Island website, priced £255.
-
How to elevate a rental with minimal interventions? Charu Gandhi has nailed it with her London homeFocus on key spaces, work with inherited details, and go big on colour and texture, says Gandhi, an interior designer set on beautifying her tired rental
-
These fashion books, all released in 2025, are the perfect gift for style fansChosen by the Wallpaper* style editors to inspire, intrigue and delight, these visually enticing tomes for your fashion library span from lush surveys on Loewe and Louis Vuitton to the rebellious style of Rick Owens and Jean Paul Gaultier
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFar from slowing down for the festive season, the Wallpaper* team is in full swing, hopping from events to openings this week. Sometimes work can feel like play – and we also had time for some festive cocktails and cinematic releases
-
Frieze London 2025: all the fashion moments to look out forThe best fashion happenings to add to your Frieze London 2025 schedule, from Dunhill’s curation of talks at Frieze Masters to an exhibition of furniture by Rick Owens
-
With exclusive merch and a secret lounge, Stone Island’s New York flagship is all about discoveryThe Italian brand has tapped design powerhouse AMO to design the futuristic new store
-
Inside Stone Island’s extraordinary laboratory for innovation in Ravarino, ItalyAs part of the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025, we pay homage to Stone Island’s enduring legacy of material innovation and rigorous experimentation with a visit to its cutting-edge Italian HQ
