Almost a decade after opening up shop on Maximilianstrasse, Stone Island has relocated its Munich store to bigger premises just a stone’s throw away. Now occupying 360 sqm. (3,875 sq.ft.) set across three floors of a modern building clad in granite, the retail space sees the brand’s newest design codes laid down in collaboration with acclaimed architecture Dutch architecture practice OMA/AMO. The various settings are captured by materials and processes that reflect Stone Island’s legacy of development and experimentation, and feature design details that are unique to the store. Unsurprisingly, a specific use of materials plays a vital role in the design concept—cork is the key element, either burned, sand-blasted or coated.
Shredded recycled paper and resins are compressed under high pressure to create furnishings that have the look and feel that’s similar to concrete. Manually sandblasted corrugated metal panels are applied with sand and resins for textured effects, and lightboxes are clad with Tyvek. Large floor-to-ceiling windows allow passers-by ample peeks of the understated interior design, most notably a visual display module, called the Chandelier, that’s suspended from the ceiling and able to be tilted and rotated, or even lowered to become an illuminated display table. The back of the ground floor features a red resin wall featuring connected series of video displays, each screening various stages of the brand’s processes.
Additionally, there’s a display area highlighting three iconic Stone Island pieces, including both important archival designs and new products, with video documentation for each that explores its stages of development. The basement section is home to a community hub with tiered seating for lectures and events, as well as a display for special Stone Island pieces. Here, the walls are made from compressed layers of soil, resembling the veins that run through the earth. Adding a special touch to the settings are unique pieces created by guest designers Tim Hooijmans, Tim Teven and Elvis Wesley. The new Stone Island store stocks the brand’s full range of merchandise, including the seasonal collections, as well as the Ghost, Marina and Stellina ranges.