OVERVIEW

Important challenges also faced thanks to the commitment of the creative team, who managed to transfer its vision into the product, with passion and enthusiasm, pushing its research efforts in uncharted territories.

The value chain – when it comes to the selection of ancillary materials and components, as well as to manufacture and dyeing – is managed under the strict supervision of Company technicians at established partners that are aligned with the Company’s ethical and regulatory codes.

Fabrics and yarns are supplied by the best Italian and foreign companies, in particular from Japan and Korea.

Manufacturing is in Italy, in the Mediterranean basin and in the Far East, at established third-party companies trained in the know-how needed to satisfy the brand’s standards of quality and sustainability.

In line with the Group’s strategy aimed at the integrated development of its distribution channels, Stone Island has been steadily advancing on the path toward greater control of distribution on international markets, through a progressive direct management of the markets previously managed by distributors and through the expansion of the DTC channel. Indeed, after the internalization of the distribution in the Korean and in the Japanese markets as well as the internalization of the DTC channel in UK in 2022, in 2024 Stone Island completed the process initiated at the end of 2023 to assume full control of the brand’s distribution in the Chinese market.

At the same time, the Company keeps enhancing its control and doors’ selection in the wholesale segment, a channel of strategic importance for Stone Island, with the aim of further elevating the positioning of the brand itself.

In 2024 the wholesale channel accounted for 48% of revenues while the remaining 52% was generated by directly managed stores and the online channel. As of 31 December 2024, the network of Stone Island mono-brand stores comprised 90 directly operated stores (DOS), a net decrease of 1 unit compared with 30 September 2024 and a net increase of 9 units compared with 31 December 2023. The Stone Island brand also operated 9 mono-brand wholesale stores, a net decrease of 6 units compared with 31 December 2023.

In 2024, Stone Island unveiled its “The Compass Inside” manifesto and launched the first of its “Community as a Form of Research” advertising campaigns. A creative direction led by Ferdinando Verderi which sees members of its community wearing emblematic items from the collection, shot by photographer, David Sims. Those featured in the campaigns to date include actor Jason Statham, musicians Dave and Liam Gallagher, designer Philippe Starck and the first ever female community member in a Stone Island campaign, DJ and producer Peggy Gou.

“The Compass Inside” is a declaration of values and beliefs that are innate to Stone Island. Founded in 1982 with a mission to put material research and innovation at the centre of its product development and collections, “The Compass Inside” speaks to every member of the ever-growing Stone Island global community with a shared purpose that gives Stone Island its unique strength.

Over time Stone Island got closer to the music world, an important brand’s communication tool, with STONE ISLAND PRESENTS, a project for international music events featuring since 2015 high profile talents from the electronic music scene and more, and with STONE ISLAND SOUND, founded in 2020, a project that supports contemporary music production with the aim of promoting local communities while building an ideal world sound map. STONE ISLAND SOUND evolved in 2024, creating a platform to explore sound through the communities who create it, through partnerships with artists and creators, with sound distributed via Apple Music and Spotify.

In 2023, Stone Island announced a global multi-year partnership with Frieze, a leading international contemporary art and culture platform. Commencing at Frieze London in October 2023, Stone Island became the Official Partner of Focus, the section dedicated to galleries of younger talents, and of Frieze 91, the global membership program that provides access to the communities and art-shaping contemporary culture.

Both the brand’s website and its social media platforms offer a window on the world of Stone Island. Stoneisland.com has been entirely rebuilt and brought in-house, to create a truly authentic Stone Island experience. The modular design allows for an ever-evolving narrative, whether it be the LAB of Stone Island’s product research and development, or the LIFE of the global communities who make Stone Island their own. Meanwhile, a virtual manifestation of the brand’s itinerant Selected Works exhibition offers visitors the chance to be immersed in Stone Island‘s renowned archive.

Stone Island is present on Instagram and the other main social media platforms.