It’s been a busy few years for Stone Island. From putting out documentary films to cosying up with post-punk artists, the Italian brand has been going the extra mile to remind its customers that its brand identity encompasses more than just fashion. The most recent example of this is its relocated New York flagship store, which opened this week and doubles as both a retail space and a community hub.
Though Stone Island has had a store in Soho for ten years, the lad-favourite brand’s new SoHo storefront marks a major facelift for its New York presence. Nestled between neighbours like Diesel and Golden Goose, the hyper-modern store is a stark contrast to the cobblestone streets and cast-iron buildings that characterise the block. Designed in partnership with architecture group OMA and its design studio AMO, Stone Island’s Greene Street location spans two levels that, while serving different functions, both exemplify the sleek yet rugged aesthetic that’s synonymous with the brand today.
Upon entering the store, it’s easy to mistake its bright, stark interior for that of an art gallery rather than a clothing store. The elements of burnt cork, ribbed plaster and stained pine were inspired not only by Stone Island’s design DNA, but also from the industrial nature of SoHo itself. While the sunlit first floor, filled with Stone Island apparel, is designated for casual shopping, there’s a basement floor, connected by a winding velvet staircase, that has the dark, swanky energy of an underground club – there’s even a massive DJ booth in the back.
Though the underground area also holds apparel, it’s down there that the brand’s aspirations for the store to become a community and events hub are meant to manifest. “Stone Island, with its over 43 years of history, has had two different sides of its personality,” CEO Robert Triefus told Dazed during a preview of the space. “One is an obsession with product, materiality, process. The other is something that's happened very organically over time, which is this kind of adopted community.”
The Stone Island relocated SoHo storefront is now open to the public at 70 Greene Street, New York. Visitors to the store can also be the first to score the special edition ‘Uneven Ripstop Primsmatico’ short parka, a piece that’s available exclusively at the New York flagship and features the store’s geographical coordinates on the back. Stone Island will also be celebrating its new digs with an installation this Saturday: the full-day, registration-only event, held at a nearby venue in SoHo, will feature an eclectic blend of of music programming, with everything from drill to afrobeats to club music on the lineup.
RSVP to the Stone Island Sound event, ‘Studio One_NY’, held at 45 Grand Street, New York, this Saturday, September 27, from 12 to 8pm.