By Grace Winchester
‘Get the badge in!’
It’s a rainy Saturday afternoon at Cambridge United’s Abbey Stadium. A group of teenage boys linger outside the gates posing for a picture, chests puffed out, each proudly pointing to a small, compass-shaped logo on their coats. The iconic shape signals the luxury brand Stone Island, which specialises in innovative, high-performance men’s clothing. The garments, starting anywhere from an eye-watering £550, are an established status symbol amongst English football fans; the compass logo litters matchday crowds across the UK. But Stone Island has not always been a positive icon for English football. The badge has come to represent multiple identities throughout its history, some tainted with brutish violence.
Launched in 1982 by Italian fashion designer Massimo Osti, Stone Island quickly gained popularity among the Italian youth. For Osti, the brand was just another branch of his impressive portfolio, which also included CP Company and the Bonneville brand. But for the ‘Paninaro’, a fashionable subculture born on the streets of Milan, Stone Island became a cornerstone of their identity. Named after the sandwich shop outside which they congregated, Il Panino in Piazza Liberty, the Paninaro were very influential throughout the eighties. Many looked to Northern Italy as the epicentre of European fashion, and the colourful argyle, washed denim and designer sunglasses of the Paninaro defined the era.
As well as keeping up with the latest fashion trends, the Brits of the eighties enjoyed a good football match. International fixtures provided the perfect opportunity for fans to observe the latest trends on the continent, and gain inspiration to bring home to Blighty. In particular, travelling fans took to the luxurious style of the Paninaro during Champions league matches against Italian teams, returning to the UK with new brands, fresh meat for the world of British fashion. Luxury brands like Moncler, Armani, and of course Stone Island, gained a lot of popularity in Britain following this era. The migration of Stone Island to our shores marked another pivotal moment in establishing the brand’s image. The wide cobbled streets of Milan gave way for the rainy pavements of Manchester and Liverpool, and Stone Island was about to become associated with something much darker than a sandwich shop.
During most English football matches in the 1980s, swapping fashion trends was far less common than swapping punches. The British football landscape of the time was defined by violence. Hooliganism was a major problem for law enforcement, and poor crowd control combined with excessive alcohol consumption caused some of the largest and most devastating disasters in football history. Perhaps most damning was the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985 which encapsulated the reputation of English football fans at the time. During a European Cup Final match in Brussels, Liverpool FC fans charged at opposing Juventus fans in the stands, causing a stampede. Thirty-nine people died, and British football clubs were banned by UEFA from competing overseas for five years. International opinion converged on one thing about the Brits; they were complete thugs. And the problems weren’t just overseas; regular police crackdowns were carried out at domestic games during this period due to regular violence and disorderly behaviour. A football match in the 1980s was a dangerous place to be.
Police responses at football matches were harsh and unbending at the time. Some fans, to avoid unwanted police attention, turned to fashion as a disguise. In the 1990s, the ‘terrace casual’ movement began, an attempt to fool law enforcement by avoiding any football-related clothing, allowing fans to behave poorly without immediate detection. They turned to inconspicuous, designer items to evade capture, replicating the middle-class look of the time. The Fred Perry boys of Manchester wore branded Fred Perry shirts to matches, and the Scallies in Liverpool popularised trainers as everyday wear. The style took off up and down the country, and Stone Island was one of the brands imported from Europe that became an iconic terrace casual piece. It became so heavily associated with football hooligans that during the 1990s and early 2000s, many pubs banned the brand due to its connotations with violence.
Slowly, England has clawed its way back from disgrace to become one of the leading names in the European football scene. Better crowd control measures, fully seated stadiums and harsher punishments gradually lessened the threats of the 1980s. As Britain moved away from its shameful past, it seemed inevitable that iconic symbols of the period, like Stone Island, would fall from favour. But Stone Island evolved once again, clawing its way into the mainstream and slowly shaking off its prior image of violence. The brand widened its audience after collaborations with Supreme in 2014 and Nike in 2015, establishing its credibility as a serious fashion label amongst big names. It was acquired by Moncler in 2020, adding to the brand’s international recognition. And celebrity endorsement only accelerated Stone Island’s successes. From rapper Drakes’ gold and diamond necklace sporting the logo, to Adam Sandler’s subtle nod to the badge in a recent interview, Stone Island found its footing as a big name in mainstream fashion. Suddenly, Stone Island was global, and gaining popularity on a scale far beyond the stands of an English football club.
There’s no doubt that Stone Island would not have survived its past without genuine quality and meticulous design. The brand’s emphasis on performance and technical fabrics is impressive, and the cutting edge designs attract fashion enthusiasts globally. But there’s more to it than simply aesthetics. Stone Island is unique in seamlessly shifting and adapting to different identities and subcultures. Its ability to move away from being an icon of violence is a testament to the brand (and its PR team). Even more impressive, however, is the brand’s use of its gritty history to champion an air of subtle masculinity, whilst remaining palatable enough for a mainstream audience. It retains the shared identity feeling people seek from football, without the aggression and violence of its earlier form. So, lads, get that badge in if it makes you feel part of something bigger. Just don’t throw a punch when you’re down one-nil.
