Here’s a Sneak Peek Into the Hypebeast x Stone Island “Famiglia” Magazine

Last month saw the launch of the highly-coveted, special-edition Hypebeast x Stone Island Famiglia magazine, commemorating the iconic brand’s 40th anniversary.

With the magazine’s theme being around its heritage built on the togetherness of family, Famiglia explores its ties amongst influential subcultures and how the relationships transformed the brand as well as covering its lasting legacy in the realms of music, design, fashion, and more.

It’s this amalgamation of inspirational, unifying stories that have only increased Stone Island‘s reverence over the past four decades. Transcending any form of category, label or culture, the Italian label remains a pioneering force in fabric innovation with a history treasured by communities worldwide.

For those that missed out on the drop, here’s a sneak peek of Behind the Process, an article within the magazine’s Research in Motion chapter, that delves into the brand’s renowned garment-making processes and includes exclusive footage inside the laboratories of its innovative dyeing methods shot by Alecio Ferrari.

When asked about the making of some of Stone Island’s most iconic pieces, Alessandro Mazzaro, who works in the company’s production team, tends to get poetic. “There are two sides to any Stone Island garment,” he says. “There is an emotional side, and a quality side – but together, they form something that has become the brand’s indescribable DNA.” 

Mazzaro has worked at the company since 1994 but says that coming up with a succinct, play-by-play description of its creation timeline is still as difficult as it was in his early days. Instead, the process he describes comes across as a fluid back-and-forth synergy, in which design inspiration and fabric innovation inform one another.

A garment’s beginnings can take place as far in advance as two years prior to its release. Typically, Mazzaro says, this process begins with the design and production teams, who together create a mood board of inspiration. They then work closely alongside one another to explore finishes, fabrics, treatments and trimmings that can achieve the desired effect, drawing on archives containing 40 years’ worth of textile research, experimentation, and innovation.

Fabrics and yarns (many of which are now recycled or from sustainable sources) are supplied by both Italian and overseas companies – with a particular focus on Japan and Korea – while product development is managed through an internal system. But the bread and butter of Stone Island, he says, is when it comes to the dyeing. “80 percent of our product, more or less, is realized in garment dye, and the DNA and know-how of this factory and people that work in this factory are attached to this kind of process.”

In the factory’s dye labs, experts have spent years perfecting recipes that have pushed the boundaries of textile coloring into unchartered territory. From the ability to dye specialist and technical fibers, to creating shades and hues that perfectly represent the vision of the brand’s designers. But with experimentation comes trial and error, and when it becomes clear that the design isn’t plausible, it is up to the production team to communicate this to the designer – after which together, they work on a solution.

Despite selling out on HBX in a matter of minutes, the Hypebeast x Stone Island Famiglia magazine is still available to purchase at Stone Island flagship stores while stocks last.