Inside Stone Island’s monumental runway debut at Milan Fashion Week

As your eyes adjusted to the veil of dry ice which hovered in the former industrial space on the outskirts of Milan which played host to Stone Island’s first runway show on Friday evening, you realised the presentation had already begun.

Strapped onto an enormous three-storey scaffold structure which ran the length of the space, models stood, stock still, looking outwards to the rows of bleacher-style seating in the front-on pose which reminded of Stone Island’s memorable campaigns (here, they were framed with squares of scaffolding, rather than the usual stark white backdrop).

Stone Island makes its runway debut in Milan

As the main presentation began, a blaring industrial techno soundtrack – loud enough to make the seats vibrate – recalled Stone Island’s longtime links with the underground. First founded in 1982 by C.P. Company’s Massimo Osti, the Italian label, initially best-known for its outerwear, has since become synonymous with various subcultures, from the Milanese Paninari to British ravers and football fans.

The show’s looks – which were taken from the A/W 2024 collection, as well as the brand’s archive – were then illuminated with a light show which featured glitching spotlights and laser-like beams which were projected into the audience. The final flourish was the drop of an enormous black curtain, momentarily obscuring the models until they were revealed at the show’s end. The curtain was projected with the Stone Island logo, an enduring symbol of street style, best known for adorning patches on the brand’s signature pieces.

Indeed, the symbol – which features the arms of a compass – provided the impetus for the show itself, which was titled ’The Compass Inside’. As a booming manifesto, read at the beginning of the show, asserted, the brand sees itself as ’an outfitter for inner worlds, for those who follow their own path’. It also heralded a new chapter of sorts, with Stone Island now led by CEO Robert Triefus since June of last year, having previously worked at Gucci. 

’The Compass Inside‘ was also the title of a new campaign from the brand, revealed the same day and featuring the house’s S/S 2024 collection. Celebrating the Stone Island ‘famiglia’, it features 16 Stone Island devotees from pop culture, including actor Jason Statham, musician Dave, and upcoming British tennis player Henry Searle. With the show and campaign, Stone Island hopes to both cement its status as a cult streetwear brand, while courting a new generation through the social media views they generate. 

’Our vision for Stone Island is expressed in The Compass Inside, [which] establishes our core values in a tangible way,’ says Triefus of the campaign. ’Relentless innovation, self-reliance, solidarity and material obsession are the cardinal directions of our compass. We design for the real world, and so our new creative narrative features notable figures from the global Stone Island family.’

stoneisland.com