James Jebbia Speaks on Supreme x Stone Island 2014 Collaboration

Coinciding with the announcement of the Supreme x Stone Island 2014 capsule collection, the elusive James Jebbia sat down with i-D to talk about the collaboration. Jebbia spoke about how the unique line came to fruition and the inspirational process behind the marrying of these two brands. He shares his affinity for Stone Island’s philosophy of meticulously approaching fabrics and dyes with an unheard of passion. Understanding Europe’s penchant for Italy-based Stone Island products during the ’80s due to English football fans recognizing the innovative apparel, Jebbia then asked friends (who are real Stone Island fans) on their views of a prospective joint venture and they all said it was a must. Enjoy excerpts of the read below and head over to i-D for the full text.

Working directly with Carlo Rivetti, Stone Island’s owner and Creative Director since 1993, James points out that he was incredibly hands-on in the working process: “We were dealing with the owners and Carlo was great to work with. He’d come by just for the simplest thing. They are very specific with their approach to treating fabric and dyes. They treat everything with passion, like they’re just starting out.”

The range unites signatures from both brands with the Stone Island emblem featuring on Supreme’s ubiquitous camp cap, while sweaters and joggers position the Supreme logo under the iconic compass badge. The centrepiece of the collaboration is the jacket, which captures Stone Island’s ongoing military motifs and all-terrain functionality. Handling the Stone Island heritage with integrity was paramount to Supreme, as James explains: “I look at Stone Island on the level of Polo or North Face, what they do is the best. You take the football culture and that image out of it and the clothing is phenomenal. They’re innovative and unique and we’ll see how our customers see it with fresh eyes.”