When a Cape Becomes a Tent

Stone Island’s Milan Design Week installation is showcasing its research and creativity for everyone to see.

In 1982, Stone Island, the popular menswear brand, created a cape that changed outerwear in fashion. It referenced a military garment that could be repurposed as a tent. Now, 42 years later, the label has introduced an installation as an ode to this piece. And where better to do it than Milan Design Week, which is basically the Fashion Week of the interior-design world. “The Intellectual Space” is an exhibition featuring a wall of 32 interconnected floating capes and a series of LED installations showcasing the garment-creation process.

The Italian company has a rich history of melding technology and experimentation in its product-design process. Its latest collection, Prototype Research_Series 08, is a 100-piece limited-edition line designed with a special fabric, created through a collaboration between Stone Island and three industrial partners. The product of this collaboration is a flexible, water-resistant material that involved a unique process including printing pigments and creating a multiaxial linen-textile base as a natural reinforcement. On each of the 100 garments, there are printed artworks (one created per garment) that come together as a giant frescolike tapestry.

Want in on a cape yourself? A series of T-shirts and tote bags celebrating Series 08 will be available at the exhibition during Milan Design Week and then in select Stone Island stores beginning May 28. And the exhibition will be open to the public through the weekend, if you find yourself in Milan.