Dior x Stone Island Unveil Groundbreaking Collaboration

In this week’s episode of “collaborations nobody asked for but everybody needs“, Italian luxury sportswear meets straight up French luxury in the inaugural Dior x Stone Island collection.

Between juggling its ongoing projects with Supreme or the newfound success brought about by New Balance, the Collaborations department at Stone Island HQ is only getting busier and in an attempt to cover all ends of the fashion spectrum, Stone Island has unveiled its latest effort with none other than Dior.

In a similar vein to its European brethren, Dior is also rightfully choosy when it comes to picking its partners and be it Nike, Travis Scott or Denim Tears, Creative Director of Menswear Kim Jones has his finger firmly pressed on the pulse of what’s hot and in Dior’s latest venture with Stone Island, Mr. Jones is given free rein over Stone Island’s unrivalled material processes and archive, resulting in a definition of the term “cross-sectional” that honours the wearable motive started by Massimo Osti in 1982, fused with the high-end aura emitted by Dior’s tailoring expertise.

In their own words, Stone Island x Dior is “the know-how of now”.

Promotional materials for the project highlight several intriguing pieces and starting with the overseer Kim Jones, we’re exposed to a blend of old militaria and contemporary steeze with the Lambskin Field Jacket.

Seamlessly blending tropes of tailoring with the functional-leaning input of Stone Island, the jacket’s pockets come with hidden press studs that match the interworked elbow pads, where a unique fastening system at the cuffs calls to archival Stone Island examples.

The stacked co-branding falls on the left pocket, showing the special white-on-black compass badge beneath an embossed Dior stamp.

Colour is an integral component of Dior x Stone Island and the deep yellows, blues and reds present in the collection are amplified by the application of Stone Island’s garment dyeing process to silk and other “noble” fabrics.

The Parisian atelier further assists in Stone Island’s ongoing innovation by experimenting with garment-dyed embroidery that features on both outerwear and knitwear.

Heavy Dior-isms come to life on the zip bomber jacket that features a bouquet of brooches across the entire upper half, joined by the various circular leather trunks that take on a magnified version of Stone Island’s compass rose.

The accessory is produced alongside the colour experts of Maison Sennelier, who’ve supplied and accompanied some of history’s greatest artists, including Picasso, Cézanne and Delaunay.

According to the brands, the trunk represents “a generational project, featuring many hours of work that encompasses the idea of traditional leather goods, new savoir-faire and contemporary high functionality - all that defines Dior men today.”

Thanks to Dior’s footwear wiz Thibo Denis, a closer look at the shoes featured in the collection highlight elevated derby styles in suede and leather that boast an extended mudguard atop a commando lug sole. The special edition B33 sneaker takes advantage of Stone Island’s cotton sateen textile, stitched with Dior‘s Oblique pattern along the side panels.

Dior x Stone Island will first release at select Dior boutiques on June 14th. The collection will be available worldwide from July 4th.