Philippe Starck on his new Stone Island campaign, and what makes good design

‘A mental illness called creativity’, is how the French designer and architect Philippe Starck describes his industrious work ethic, which has seen him create some of the 20th and 21st centuries’ most memorable objects – among them the 1990 Juicy Salif juicer for Alessi and the Louis Ghost Chair for Kartell (deemed ‘the most copied plastic chair in the world’).

He is an apt face, then, for Stone Island’s new Ghost campaign, part of an ongoing series that drafts international creatives – spanning a multitude of disciplines, from acting to architecture (and recently including Joseph Grima) – to front the cult Italian streetwear label’s collections. Starck is the latest in the line-up, chosen to wear Stone Island’s Ghost line, one which is often favoured by designers for its minimalist codes, whereby each single-colour garment is stripped down to its essence (it is recognisable for its monochrome version of the signature Stone Island compass badge, which is ‘conceived to blend with the garment’).

‘The Ghost collection, based on the concept of camouflage and monochrome, suited me very well. Living in the middle of nowhere and being invisible, I was able to become visible without being totally in the spotlight,’ says Starck of the David Sims-shot images, which were released today (17 September 2024).

Here, speaking to Wallpaper*, the seminal designer talks about appearing in front of the camera, living like a monk, and the rules of good design.

Philippe Starck on his Stone Island campaign, and what makes good design

Wallpaper*: What did you know of Stone Island prior to beginning this project? Were you a fan?

Philippe Starck: First of all, I have a mental illness called creativity, which means that I live like a monk, high up in the mountains of Sintra in Portugal, in total autarky. This [is] in order to find the level of concentration I need for the several projects I am working on at the same time. I don't usually go to cocktail parties, I don't read magazines and so I am not aware of what is coming out in the design world, nor in the fashion world.

With Stone Island, I discovered a brand whose values and convictions are centred on research and innovation in materials, looking to the future, which immediately interested me and echoed my work. I am delighted to be one of the great creative minds asked to take part in the campaign.

W*: Tell me a bit about the jacket you are wearing in the image. Did you choose it? How did it feel to wear it?

PS: I am used to wearing mainly functional, hard-wearing and technical clothing, mostly monochrome, which can be used in all conditions, depending on where I am. I have therefore a range of hooded T-shirts that I have had made to measure.

Following various suggestions from the Stone Island team, I chose pieces that suited me and that I could wear on a daily basis, technical and monochrome, such as the down parka made of a very fine merino worsted wool twill and resin-coated inside for a wind-stopping feature. It is created with a hood, raglan sleeves, pockets with flap and snap fastening, so it is very practical, comfortable, and created from intelligent materials.’

W*: Why do you think you were chosen for this project? What do you think you and Stone Island share?

PS: Based on research, innovation, industrial design, dedicated to pushing the boundaries of fabric technology and garment experimentation; while focusing on elegance and functionality. I found the link quite logical.

For 40 years, I have been researching new materials, pushing manufacturers to go ever further in design and technicality to realise the creations I have in mind. I think the most modern words nowadays are longevity, transmission and heritage. Things have to be intelligent, honest and sustainable, taking into account love, poetry, humour and, above all, vision. These are values that Stone Island seems to share.

W*: What do you think makes good design?

PS: I am convinced that design work is a question of intuition, of desire to do something, of an idea. But it is also a question of harmony of the parameters. We have to understand a creation like a ball: you work on it and at first it is a little wobbly. We work on it a lot and it becomes more and more polished, perfect. And, when it becomes a stainless-steel ball, a crystal ball, we can consider that all the parameters are balanced.

We can reorient certain parameters, also pull it and make it an oval ball, but at a given moment there is harmony, there is balance.

stoneisland.com