We’d always put safety first over style, but if you’re regularly in the saddle for the commute to work – even in winter – how do you tackle those dark, misty mornings and twilight evenings if a neon-yellow just isn’t your shade?
Stone Island – the Milan-based brand founded by Massimo Osti in 1982 – has a solid reputation for fabric experimentation and engineering – and it garnered cult status in the ‘90s Britain thanks largely to style-savvy ‘terrace casuals’ from Wembley to Old Trafford, looking to distance themselves from the hooliganism that had dominated grounds in the ‘80s, by wearing flashy designer jackets instead of team colours.
It’s this fashion-meet function label that has the answer to your hi-vis woes in the form of its latest release.
This intelligently designed parka has been cut from a specially developed fabric, made by plating the cloth in a water and wind-proof resin containing millions of ‘microspheres’ – that’s minuscule pieces of glass in plain speak – that turn the jacket into a florescent beacon when it’s caught in direct light. It also undergoes a 'Dust Colour' treatment, where the pigment is applied to leave a three-dimensional look to the garment, which is unique to every piece, much like a fingerprint.
Don’t worry, you won’t look like you’re wearing Liberace’s smoking jacket – it only turns luminescent when a bright beam of light strikes the fabric – for instance, car headlights or lamp posts. It’s the ideal antidote to the British winter, ensuring you look the part, while still staying very much visible, no matter how murky the weather gets.
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.
