Since it was founded in Italy in 1982, Stone Island has grown to become one of the most respectable men’s fashion brands in the world. Growing out of C.P. Company, considered the forefather of Italian casual wear brands, Stone Island was the creative brainchild of Massimo, a graphic designer inspired by designs found in military and army surplus stores.
Massimo was always drawn to the technology and functionality involved in the production of fabrics and the actual military garments. However, when he experimented with such fabrics and designs for C.P. Company, he realised that the garments that he created did not fit in with the brand’s vision. To address this, he created Stone Island to market these designs. Today, Stone Island’s garments vary between innovative jackets to functional and fashion forward Stone Island jeans and everyday wear garments.
Now in its tenth generation, Stone Island’s Shadow Project is the result of an ongoing collaboration between the owner and creative director Carlo Rivetti and designers Michaela Sachenbacher and Errolson Hugh, also known as ACRONYM. The project has roots in experimentation and in the fusion between technical functionality and the performance of form. The latest incarnation of the Shadow Project has been foregrounded by a video found here.
For Autumn/Winter 2012, the Shadow Project collection used empty urban locations and pieces falling slowly from the ceiling to distil the concept of interplay between form and function. The Spring/Summer 2013 collection, which is just now upon us, features a very exciting garment that glows in the dark. Not one to shy away from experimentation, Stone Island has called this ‘the luminescence technique’. The fabric is wind and water resistant, and also has the ability to capture light and emit it back when it is dark. This technology has been applied to twelve different garments, either in parts (such as the hood or a zip) or to the whole item.