One of our favourite things about SEVEN STORE is the little bits of creative content they manage to sneak in throughout the year, like when they documented long-time Proper pal, PJ Smith, and his journey to visit the owner of the world’s biggest Lacoste collection in Marseille. If you’ve not read about that, have a look at this.
The two Liverpool forces have joined once again to produce another piece of fantastic content, this time exchanging a French brand for an Italian one. Stone Island.
As Osti’s compass-badged master piece has recently unveiled its offerings for SS25, SEVEN STORE has been taken by one garment in particular – the Raw Linen Plated-OVD Short Parka – and looking at it, it’s easy to see why…
The Parka, like all great Osti products, isn’t just a garment – it’s a process. A story, in fact. Told by PJ, whose gravel-toned Scouse spoken word tracks the flax from plant to parka. It’s like a National Geographic special, but if David Attenborough spent his youth mooching around the Strand. You can watch the video here.
The fabric of the jacket, just like the fabric of the film, is rugged. None of that breezy linen pregnant women adore, we’re talking undyed, unbleached, raw, straight off the boat linen. Creamy greys and earthy browns have been hardened with transparent resin and put through Stone Island’s signature garment-dyeing. The results of this magical process – each jacket has a unique one-of-a-kind patina, with colour quirks and surface textures that are sure to age like fine wine. This Parka is Stone Island at its very best – tantalisingly reminiscent of the golden era of Osti garments we’re forever banging on about.
But even with its obvious heritage influences, the Raw Linen Parka still looks wildly futuristic. Like something an architect would wear to an acid house event. Technical yet organic. Brutalist but breathable. A sort of wonderful wearable contradiction.
In our view, all the best retailers have a keen eye for quality, and an incessant knack for storytelling – this SEVEN STORE piece demonstrates they’re very much head and shoulders above most in that respect. Incredibly compelling visuals for an incredibly visually compelling jacket.
The Raw Linen Plated-OVD Short Parka can be purchased from here, and other Stone Island SS25 offerings can be shopped here.
