On 21 September, the Italian luxury menswear brand Stone Island announced the first stop of its planned exhibition tour. The Stone Island travelling display will kick off at the Wuhan International Plaza (武汉武商MALL). However, the exhibition which is called a ‘time-limited experimental space’, is more of a concept pop-up or immersive shopping experience than a regular exhibition. The space will be available to visit from now until 15 December this year.
The Stone Island Wuhan display takes place on the landing on the ground floor of the mall. Centred on the brand philosophy of “LAB” and “LIFE”, the space is designed with an industrial aesthetic with the metallic sheen of stainless-steel panels surrounding the area, as well as the shelves and displays. Among the industrial display shelves and racks, an LED screen shows brand communication and classic items from the brand. This is the LAB side of the space.
Meanwhile, The LIFE side of the exhibition includes the main exterior wall which is made with green glass bricks giving a sign of being organic, echoed by the green carpeting on the floor. The glass bricks also prop up the iconic Stone Island compass logo. A stainless table is also ornamented by glass bricks in a blackish darker green. The classic outerwear from the brand lines the walls, along with other garments and accessories on display.
The Italian fashion house has been quickly expanding in China. It had just opened its first store in Central China in late July, at the SKP-S mall in Wuhan, before opening more stores in Shanghai and Ningbo in August. The brand entered China 20 years ago in 2004, but it has been in transition since joining the Moncler group in 2020.
Stone Island has a street fashion tinge to its image. However, it has been trying to diversify its profile as streetwear hasn’t been as popular of late. Instead, they have been trying to leverage its lesser-known association with sports to bank on the outdoor and fitness trends popularised by brands like Arc’teryx and Lululemon. Raising awareness of the brand philosophy through pop-up experiences, of course, is a great step towards establishing the brand in people’s (sub)consciousness.
