New London Store Showcases Innovative Design
Stone Island has expanded its retail strategy by opening a store at London department store Harrods.
The 430-square-foot space, located on the second floor of Harrods’ Knightsbridge location, was designed by Rem Koolhaas’ OMA/AMO studio to resemble the brand’s other retail destinations in Chicago, Stockholm, and Paris’ Rue Saint-Honoré.
“Harrods represents a powerful crossroad with local clients and tourists from around the world converging in an elevated and engaging retail environment. We are, therefore, delighted to now be present with our global store design so that customers can fully appreciate a comprehensive Stone Island experience,” said Stone Island CEO Robert Triefus.
The store’s design incorporates innovative architectural solutions, such as compressed layers of soil mounted as a back wall and burnt, sand-blasted, and coated cork for the dark side walls. The minimalist furniture includes a green table, Tim Teven’s stools in pressed aluminum, and lighting fixtures hanging from the roof by Tim Hooijmans.
Although Harrods already carried Stone Island products, the move aligns with the brand’s shift of its business into direct-to-consumer from mainly wholesale.
Stone Island, celebrating 42 years in business in 2024, operates 85 stores and 13 monobrand wholesale stores. In the first half of 2024, Stone Island revenues totaled 188.9 million euros, with a decrease of 6 percent as the company transitions to a DTC strategy.
In 2020, Moncler acquired 70 percent of Sportswear Company SpA, the owner of the Stone Island brand, before taking full control of the firm in the following year. Triefus joined Stone Island as CEO last year after previously working at Gucci.
