“I want to make garments that are substantial and relevant to their owners… Everyday pieces representing uniqueness, research, comfort and functionality.” So says Stone Island’s creative director and president Mr Carlo Rivetti, and, goodness, isn’t that a wonderfully reassuring thing to hear?

Of course, anyone even vaguely familiar with the history of Stone Island, be they part of its fervent and devoted fanbase or not, will also know that such sentiments are nothing particularly new for the brand, which is the brainchild of legendary designer and CP Company founder Mr Massimo Osti and has been run by Mr Rivetti since 1983. In fact, the self-same qualities that define Stone Island today have always defined it, and very good qualities they are, too. So good that Mr Rivetti is happy to reel them off, as a bit of a refresher for MR PORTER. “Continuous research and experimentation, improving our own fabrics and treatments while developing new ones… this is the passion of my company,” he says. “And then, the careful attention to the details: the pockets, the hoods, the shapes that facilitate movement…”

He’s not kidding about the details. Take the exclusive Stone Island capsule that has just landed on MR PORTER, for example. The fabric on the outerwear pieces is David-TC, a signature Stone Island textile that is created by applying dye and an anti-drop treatment to a Japanese polyester/polyamide substrate, under pressure and at 130°C. The resulting finish is a suede-like effect, with the fabric holding the dye colour, as Mr Rivetti puts it, in a “voluptuous way.” The colour itself – the deep pink-ish shade that is exclusive to this drop – is called ruggine, which means “rust” in Italian, and is one of 60,000 hues that have been developed by Stone Island’s in-house colour laboratory during the past few decades. “We chose the ruggine because it’s kind of unexpected,” says Mr Rivetti. “It’s deep, and I like it a lot.”

At nine pieces, this unique collaboration is, like the brand itself, all about tight, focused details. But it’s also a testament to what the brand stands for in 2019. At its launch in 1982, and for many years beyond, Stone Island was all about the outerwear. In fact, Mr Osti launched the brand with just seven coats, made with Tela Stella, a two-toned technical fabric originally designed for use in truck tarpaulins. These days, though the jackets remain the brand’s signature item, it is equally known for its wide range of jersey and knit pieces – the overall concept being not just military or urban garments but, as Mr Rivetti puts it “luxury sportswear”.

In this regard, perhaps a good way of seeing the way the wind is blowing at Stone Island headquarters (aptly, the brand’s compass logo is a nod to seafaring adventures) is not just by looking at the capsule’s garment-dyed coats and technical sweatpants, but also the knitwear. In particular, there’s a message in the cable-knit compass sweaters, a combination of a sporty aesthetic and crafty, old-world techniques more commonly found in the wares of heritage brands. It has a cultish appeal, but is also grown-up and sophisticated and that, says Mr Rivetti “is fully in line with the Stone Island approach: the reinterpretation of a classic piece, but in our way.” What more needs to be said – except long may it continue.