With exclusive merch and a secret lounge, Stone Island’s New York flagship is all about discovery

In a bustling metropolis like New York, a single city block can signal a vibe shift. The same applies to Stone Island – the Italian clothing brand known for its innovative fabrications and signature compass arm patch – which has nudged its SoHo flagship a block northward at 70 Greene Street.

The new location, positioned alongside luxury heavy-hitters like Saint Laurent, Givenchy and Balenciaga, reflects a refreshed retail strategy for Stone Island, one that company CEO Robert Triefus has sought to crystallise since taking the reins two years ago, after a 15-year run at Gucci.

‘We wanted to create a uniform narrative that really reinforces our commitment to innovation, material research and community,’ Triefus tells Wallpaper*. ‘Stone Island is, and has always been to a degree, adopted by different subcultures. And so in this store, there was a very strong commitment to building a destination experience.’

To help define that experience, Triefus turned to AMO, the in-house creative lab of global architecture powerhouse, OMA. The firm had already designed a crop of Stone Island stores in important markets like Paris, Shanghai, Munich and Chicago. ‘I was happy to discover when I joined that the relationship existed,’ Triefus says.

The feeling was mutual for AMO director Samir Bantal. A visit to Stone Island’s headquarters in Ravarino, Italy had the architect ‘geeking out’. ‘All the garments start off white and have to go through this intricate process of colouring, dyeing, washing, et cetera,’ he explains. ‘In a way, that represents how we look at architecture.’

Bantal and the team approached the two-storey flagship as a riff on Stone Island’s philosophy of ‘lab,’ or material innovation, and ‘life,’ meaning community. Upon entering the store, you are greeted by Stone Island’s core collection hanging from stainless steel rods. Some walls are clad in charred cork, lending an almost volcanic texture to the interiors, while others gleam in brushed stainless steel, giving the sensation of stepping aboard a spaceship. Video screens flash Stone Island’s material processes (the ‘lab’) while others display scenes of brand ambassadors and campaigns (the ‘life’).

The store invites visitors to take their time the deeper they venture inside. The back of the store showcases special editions, including Uneven Ripstop Prismatico parka made in a limited run of just ten pieces for the New York location, and features lounge furniture by designers Tim Teven and Markus Töll. Subtle nautical themes – on which Stone Island’s compass logo is based – abound in this space, from porthole-like display niches in the cork-clad walls to industrial ridged curtain rods. ‘This is where you would take more time to view a larger part of the collection,’ Bantal says.

The time warp continues at the very back of the store. Here, a green-carpeted staircase beckons you down to a subterranean lounge, where there’s even more green carpet and more clothing to peruse. You’ll also find a monumental stainless steel DJ booth (Stone Island frequently collaborates with musical artists as part of a programme called Stone Island Sound), a sitting area, books, and even a bar, hidden behind green-stained plywood panels. The lounge will host special in-store events and activations as a way for customers, both new and devout, to get acquainted with Stone Island’s values and community.

‘In America, we're still relatively new as a brand,’ Triefus says. ‘I think in these last couple of years, post-Covid, people have really begun to understand Stone Island.’

And North American consumers are about to get even more familiar. AMO’s aesthetic building blocks will be applied to future Stone Island boutiques (there are plans in the works for locations in Toronto and Costa Mesa, California) as well as select department stores. In the short term, to celebrate the New York opening, Stone Island is hosting an all-day party in collaboration with the sound system studio Friendly Pressure. The event will feature DJ sets spanning house, reggae, Afrobeat, jazz and more.

‘We're not a technical brand, but we are a performance brand in the sense that we have a real wardrobe for real people living real lives,’ Triefus reflects. ‘I think today, in a world where there are a lot of questions about luxury, Stone Island has always, since it was founded in 1982, wanted to create objects that really add value to someone's life’ – even if that’s a day on the dance floor.

Stone Island New York, 70 Greene Street, New York, NY 10012.

stoneisland.com