Part 1 - Stone Island x
Born in 1944, Bologna, Massimo Osti was undistiputably one of the iconically influential legends within the fashion firmament.
His sad death in 2005 further cemented his venerably revolutionary status, and his lasting legacy is extremely palpable to this day.
In 1971, the seminal birth of his nascent creation Chester Perry, later to become C.P. Company (1978, featured in Part 2), led to Boneville in 1981, before Stone Island reached the Italian (Ravarino) shores, in 1982.
A prominent focus on technology, surface and dyeing techniques, within the hugely innovative, cultural designing process, meant that Stone Island was always going to highly resonate, within the boundary-pushing Casual cosmos.
The permanently stand out essense of the clothing label itself, is marine/military influenced.
With research and the sea being such vital features, the proudly world famous nautically inspired (rose) compass badge on the arm, strongly leads the way for identity, spirit, liberty, discovery and adventure.
The thoroughly individual name itself, is derived from an experimentally advanced, pumice stone washing technique, that Osti himself was developing at the time, and the fact that Stone and Island are the most featured words in Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness.
Aesthetically combining Moncler/Versace et al, with Stone Island/C.P. Company, Levi 501 Jeans et al, was an intensely powerhouse look for Milanese youths, confidently/stylishly riding around outside Panino (sandwich) cafés on their classic mopeds.
This further led them to be called The Paninaro - an emphatically explicit cult-classic movement/statement in favour of mass consumerism, in the face of anything and everything, that happened to culturally drag its feet in the 1980's.
The fact that Stone Island played such a focal part in this, tells you everything you need to know about the brand.
In 1986, The Pet Shop Boys, who are no strangers to Casual culture/Stone Island themselves, would go on to release their synonymously essential track Paninaro, in true homage to its entire movement. x