It can't just be me who is seeing what Stone Island is doing? Let's talk about it.....
SET IN STONE!!
By Kenny Annan-Jonathan
This Italian powerhouse knows what it’s doing.
Let’s talk about it…
Stoney isn’t dead… how can they be when they are still kicking ass!
The Italian brand founded in 1982 by Massimo Osti has a long-standing connection with sports culture, particularly through football (soccer for my American followers lol) and terrace fashion. While not directly involved in manufacturing sportswear for athletes, its influence in sports culture is significant.
Between the 1980s and 1990s, Stone Island became a staple in football casual culture, particularly in the UK and Europe the sports biggest markets of influence..
Stone Island was adopted by football casuals as the peoples choice for functionality and aesthetics, usually a hard combination to get right for high end brands.
The UK doesn’t have the best reputation for its dull and grim weather. Put yourself at the scene… You’re sitting in the stands during the winter season, its FREEZING and temperatures are below zero with heavy downpour. You’re sitting in your standard mass produced out of the factory club merch with 60/40 polly wadding filled jacket and your clubs just lost their 3-1 lead in the 85th minute. Those that know know kmt, It makes the loss so much worse when the rains soaking through your “water RESISTANT” jacket.
At least let me lose in style… smh, any way i digress.
I mean, how many brands were serving us products that not only looked good, but felt just as good. A rarity when it comes to mid/high end fashion, So i totally get the adoption from football fans claiming a brand known for it’s attention to detail in outerwear.
“The compass badge on the sleeve became a status symbol among football fans.”
I have to give it to them, penetrating the sports world without traditionally being known as a “Sportswear brand” might have been one of their biggest wins! What they did do though was insert themselves into Sports culture by collaborating with brands that already had major traction and dominance in the sporting world like Nike and more recently one of their biggest collaborators New Balance. See what i did there with the name fonts lol ;)
It actually wasn’t until 2022 that Stone Island had their first official sports sponsored relationship in New Balance, an American sportswear company founded in 1906 who.. drumroll please….. have also been aggressive in their pursuit to stamp their mark within football. A marriage made in heaven… or on the pitch (dad joke). I know… after all those years of strangling football fans with casual wear they finally made the leap.
Ok lets talk about streetwear and cultural influence…
Stony’s innovation in technical fabrics like weatherproof materials and reflective textiles have influenced modern sportswear design and like most innovative brands that find a way to communicate authentically, it leaks over into other areas influenced by similar metrics.
We already know the love interest between athletes and Rappers using fashion as an outward form of expression. Seems like a common theme with hot things worn by the unsung super hero’s of our communities.
Stone Islands list of collaborators are always well thought through and intentionally hand picked to keep brand validity strong.
A list of their collaborators include
New Balance, Nike, Supreme, Dior, Palace , Acronym, Levi’s, Porter and Moncler
Not bad huh?
Ok let’s go on.
“It’s crossover appeal in football culture led to its adoption by hip-hop artists and streetwear enthusiasts, digging it’s roots deeper into sneaker and sports fashion through their collaborative products.”
Was Football not enough! now they are dipping their hands into other jars.. How Greeedy!
let’s talk about that…
Stone Islands latest campaign is a solid nod into their cultural influence and communities.
Even recently they collaborated with Steph Curry in support of his CURRY CAMP.
Ahead of NBA Allstar Weekend Steph will showcase his Collab, yes collab not just endorsement and present their co branded sets to just over half a dozen young athletes who attended his camp in 2024 as reported by Hypebeast. Reference here
Although cementing themselves into the world of football, they are clearly doing a great job at infiltrating other sports like basketball through athlete campaign association using names like Jalen Green and as mentioned above Steph curry.
An easy win without directly paying for endorsements, clean approach if i do say myself.
We see you ;) You ain’t slick lol
Ok, now onto one of my favourite sections.
LET’S GET DOWN TO THESE NUMBERS!
Let’s talk about that!
Stone Island reported Revenue Growth In 2023 of €411.1 million, marking a 4% increase at constant exchange rates compared to €401.1 million in 2022.
Regional Performance: The EMEA region, where football culture is particularly influential, accounted for approximately 69.9% of Stone Island’s total revenues in 2023, amounting to €287.5 million.
Figures supported by reports from the Moncler group.
Now can we say that Sports is the reason that Stone Island is growing… mmm not entirely, BUT what we can say is that the brand’s strong performance in regions with a passionate football fan base are signals to it’s growth, the numbers don’t lie.
Collaborations with brands like New Balance have allowed Stone Island to tap into the sportswear market more directly rather than dipping their toe in with no real control over their audiences. These partnerships have expanded the brand’s reach and appeal among sports enthusiasts.
What i think about it?
Stone Island’s financial trajectory and numbers has for sure been positively influenced by its strategic alignment with sports cultures (particularly football). I’d say that the connection has not only strengthened brand loyalty among existing customers, but has also attracted new demographics which has directly impacted their revenue.
Ok so we are finally at the end and you’re probably thinking, so whats next?… Thats the exciting part!!. I’ve been working on something over the last year and i’ll be sharing more soon :) The next chapter is most definitely an exciting one.
This is like the credits at the end of a movie, you have to stay behind for the surprise to the sequel.
Why not be the first one to comment on own post LOL.