For a clothing brand as massive as Stone Island, it has long remained a relative stranger to the fashion week schedule. It was only in January 2024 that the label staged its first runway show, more than forty years after being founded by Massimo Osti. This season, Stone Island returned to the official calendar once again, this time with a presentation focused on its Prototype Research Series. Launched in 2016, the series exists separately from the brand’s main line and centres on limited-edition pieces developed through Stone Island’s in-house experimental research into innovative fabrics and treatments.

The pieces unveiled in Milan form Prototype Research Series 09, which, for the first time, incorporates knitwear. The collection’s key innovation is a process known as “air-blown lamination on knit,” which transforms knit into a significantly more durable and waterproof material suitable for outerwear. In a playful twist, the collection’s central silhouette – a cotton chenille hooded cardigan – is produced in 100 different hues, with each garment rendered in a unique colour.

The series was presented at Stone Island’s main showroom on Via Tortona in Milan, alongside a special installation designed by Ken-Tonio Yamamoto.