The Italian brand Stone Island opened its first concept store in Singapore, in partnership with Bluebell Group.
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Located inside the city’s iconic shopping mall, Marina Bay Sands, the 114 square meter space is designed by Marc Buhre, the industrial designer of all Stone Island flagships around the world. The store houses a series of Stone Island and Stone Island Shadow Project collections.
The Marina Bay Sands concept store marks Stone Island’s further expansion into the Southeast Asia market.
Stone Island is considered one of the most prominent men’s fashion brands and is often lined-up with brands such as Gucci, Balenciaga, Off-White.
It made €240 million (S$385,584,000) in profits during the pandemic-stricken year of 2020. Last December, it was acquired by Moncler, another global purveyor of performance outerwear, as part of a billion-dollar deal.
Stone Island was founded in 1982 by Massimo Osti, an Italian graphic designer with a keen interest in textiles and informal wear. His first collection was a line of just seven jackets in six colours.
What made them special was the fabric: “Tela Stella”, a heavily-stonewashed cloth, featuring different colours on each side, that was used to make truck tarpaulins. It was the first of many innovative materials that would become a Stone Island signature. The brand has since launched jackets made of stainless steel Teflon fibers, colour-changing liquid crystals, as well as a reflective combination of a waterproof fabric with glass.
These unique materials are dreamed up in Stone Island’s colour laboratory in Ravarino.
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Besides technical textiles, Stone Island focuses on functionality. The brand, which has been led by Carlo Rivetti for almost 40 years, offers an array of clothing that draw from military uniforms and workwear. Parkas, sweatshirts, knitwear, shirts and jeans all combine clean appearances and clever details, making them perfect for the modern man’s wardrobe.