Stone Island has handed its community the megaphone yet again. For the Spring/Summer 2026 campaign, the brand advances its long-running ‘Community as a Form of Research’ project with a portrait series capturing musicians, athletes, artists and thinkers in close-up, uncompromising frames.
The creative team of David Sims, Max Pearmain and Ferdinando Verderi has opted for a visual language of absolute clarity. Every subject is placed against a stark white backdrop, with each portrait paired with a set of questions assembled by Swiss art curator, Hans Ulrich Obrist.
The cast mixes familiar voices with surprising faces. Musicians Joe James and Mike Skinner open the chapter, followed by Paolo Maldini, Garance Vallée, MMA fighter Chito Vera and loudspeaker designer Shivas. Later arrivals include Cha Seung-won, Feid, A. G. Cook, Charlie Hunnam and DJ YUVIE.

The product itself remains the ultimate research project, something they had made clear with the release of the SS26 collection. But, this time, the pared-back framing makes you notice the cut of a pocket, the grain of a finish, the way a badge sits on fabric – all the small things that, cumulatively, build Stone Island’s language.
The hooded leather jacket worn by Vera has been barrel-treated with waxes for a rugged look, but then physically shaved down to remove the heavy, restrictive weight typical of cowhide. As for the Ghost field jacket seen on Maldini, it is built from linen bonded to ultra-light nylon jersey and finished through a meticulous double-dye process, allowing fabric, structure and badge to dissolve into a single, tonal expression.
Elsewhere, a cotton nylon tela jacket quilted with multi-axial stitching and insulated with PrimaLoft®-TC speaks to Stone Island’s ongoing LAB + LIFE philosophy, blending material research with real-world function. A resin-treated cotton ripstop overshirt, double-coated with pigmented resin, plays with surface and depth, its finish shifting subtly as light moves across it.
Discover the Spring/Summer 2026 campaign here.
photography. courtesy of Stone Island
words. Gennaro Costanzo
















































































































































































