Stephen Graham secretly joins forces with huge rapper in bid to help make 90s brand Stone Island cool again
It was a clothes brand beloved by football hooligans for decades before becoming distinctly uncool when Arsenal-supporting PM Keir Starmer picked up one of the £150 polo shirts.
But now fashion company Stone Island is undergoing another major rebrand — and has just pulled in Stephen Graham and Skepta to help make it happen.
I’m told Adolescence actor Stephen and the rapper filmed a top-secret new campaign in London last week in a bid to breathe fresh blood into the brand.
My fashion mole said: “Stephen’s stock is now sky high after Adolescence, and Stone Island want credibility.
“Stephen brings this in spades. It’s a serious deal and they think it’s going to be hugely popular.
“He is the man of the moment thanks to Adolescence, plus he’s a very cool, low-key individual, which is what Stone Island loves.
“Bringing Skepta in on the deal keeps it edgy. He is an incredible musician and brings real integrity to Stone Island.
“His fan base is massive and there is a huge, untapped audience Stone Island thinks they can reach with him in their clothes.
“The shoot was kept under lock and key but it’s very moody and very cool, with them walking the streets in Stone Island clobber, with the famous compass badge on show.
“It’s likely the advert will be released in the coming weeks, with billboards and a massive push on social media.”
In my teenage years, Stone Island was the uniform of my school’s hardest, and definitely most stupid, kids.
Posh boy
It’s recently had a resurgence, with posh boy DJ Cassius Taylor, whose grandad was the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth, coming on board in 2024 to give the Italian company a refresh.
He said at the time he wanted to bring the influence of the British arts scene to the brand, with Ed Sheeran and later American film director Spike Lee all seen wearing Stone Island clobber.
If anyone can make it cool one more, it’s Stephen and Skepta.
Now the company just needs to put a blanket ban on Sir Keir wearing its clothes ever again.
Keep your chin up, Olivia
On her first night out since revealing she is getting divorced, I thought Olivia Attwood might be nursing a broken heart.
But it almost looked like she’d hurt her neck, too, when the reality star turned up to a showbiz London bash in this crop top, which resembled a fuzzy brace.
The ex-Love Islander recently split from footballer Bradley Dack and didn’t seem in the spirit to let her hair down at Glamour and EE’s Bafta Rising Star party in Knightsbridge, leaving after just an hour.
And fresh from news of the Pussycat Dolls reunion, Ashley Roberts was feline flirty in this sheer dress.
Other celebrities at the bash included AJ Odudu and Radio 6 Music’s Beth Ditto, who was one of the last guests standing.
You can cast your vote now on who you want to see win the Rising Star gong at the EE Baftas, which will take place on February 22.
Hopefully there’s more familiar faces letting their hair down then.
Shop ahoy for Cruz
Cruz Beckham shopped until he dropped with his bandmates The Breakers – but he kept it thrifty.
One of my pals saw the youngest son of Posh and Becks at trendy clothing shop Retro Man in Notting Hill, West London, where he spent £250 on clobber for the group.
He was also joined by his girlfriend, songwriter Jackie Apostel.
“Cruz might be absolutely loaded but he kept to a budget when he was shopping for the band,” my mate told me last night.
“They bought a £10 scarf, a top for £20 and a vest which was supposed to be £15 but the shop owner knocked off a fiver. All of them got decked out for £250.
“Cruz’s girlfriend Jackie was there and helped them choose things. They were in a really good mood and Cruz was joking around, saying the band were the next ‘Fab Four’.”
Cruz and The Breakers are on Chris Evans’s Virgin Radio UK Breakfast show this morning to promote their single For Your Love, which is out today.
Other new releases include Blue by Mae Stephens, as well as Charli XCX’s Wuthering Heights soundtrack, featuring a track co-written with Stranger Things’ Joe Keery, also known as singer Djo.
Hailey’s nightie on the town
Hailey Bieber gave husband Justin an early Valentine’s Day treat when she walked the red carpet in this sheer dress.
The beauty mogul wore the daring lacy outfit to the Sydney premiere of Wuthering Heights.
Given how racy I’ve heard the flick is, perhaps it will help spice things up at home.
She attended the event during a whirlwind promotional tour to launch her beauty brand Rhode in Oz.
Videos have shown thousands of fans lining the streets to catch a glimpse of her there, which shows how her star power has rocketed in the past few years.
It really is amazing what a bit of lip gloss can do.
Cyn sucks with Drac autocue
West End audiences are out for blood after accusing Cynthia Erivo of not learning her lines for a new production of Dracula.
The Wicked actress has given her first few performances of the show, but some punters were less than impressed by the fact she is using an autocue for lines.
To be fair, Cynthia is playing all 23 parts in the play, which means she had a hell of a lot to learn.
But some people have said she simply isn’t prepared for the part if she doesn’t know the script.
With tickets costing up to £225, I can see why they might be ticked off.
To make matters worse, the show is filled with complex filmed sections, which meant the autocue was clearly visible on massive screens.
Taking to TikTok, one peeved theatre-goer said: “It was an incredible design. It had all of this amazing tech and a stage management team that were working their butts off – it was incredible to see them at work.
“And amongst all of it you had a central performer who didn’t know her lines. She had autocues at the side of the stage that at times got caught on camera.”
“Absolutely appalling. I think at one point she was keeping an earpiece in. Was she being fed her lines by a voice off stage in the wings?”
Some have defended her, insisting the show is still only in the preview stage.
But with its official opening night on Tuesday, it sounds like Cynthia had better sink her teeth into that script.
Duff tour heads to lucky UK
Hilary Duff is heading out on the biggest tour of her career so far.
She will play arenas around the world after exceptional demand for a handful of intimate shows last month.
The former Disney child star launches The Lucky Me Tour in Florida on June 22, then brings it to the UK and Ireland in September with support from La Roux.
Hilary, whose first album in a decade, Luck . . . Or Something, will be out a week today, will visit Dublin’s 3Arena on September 6, followed by Cardiff’s Utilita Arena, London’s O2 Arena, Manchester’s AO Arena and finally OVO Hydro in Glasgow.
A pre-sale begins on Tuesday, with tickets going on general sale next Friday.
Chain of Hope’s annual celebrity art auction is back, with Gillian Anderson, Olivia Colman, Mel B and Emma Bunton showing off creative skills alongside Fatboy Slim and Graham Norton.
The artwork is on display and available to buy at London’s Saatchi Gallery. The charity helps children from overseas who have heart disease.
Given Taylor Swift is a fan of Graham and cast him in her Opalite video, I wonder if she will snap up his work for the good cause.
Jason on track for Crimbo
It’s only February, but Jason Manford is already planning his next Christmas – complete with new tunes.
The comic reached the Top Ten with his album A Different Stage in 2017 and now wants to put out a festive album, just like Mariah Carey, Kylie Minogue and Michael Buble.
Speaking to Bizarre as part of a campaign to lift the nation’s mood with savoury snacks Cheez-Its, of all things, he said: “Because I do the pantos, I keep thinking about Christmas albums. That would be nice.”
‘Silly’ Greg in 1,000-mile relief ride
Greg James is taking one for the Radio 1 team by braving this year’s Red Nose Day challenge.
Unfortunately for the Breakfast Show host, it’s one of the hardest.
Greg, who has already done two Comic Relief challenges and raised more than £2million during his time at the station, is cycling 1,000 miles on a tandem bike.
He will be setting off from Weymouth in Dorset on March 13, then riding through Wales and England before ending up in Edinburgh on Red Nose Day, seven days later.
As well as his fellow Radio 1 DJs, Greg is going to be joined by special guests along the way.
He completed five triathlons in five days in 2016. Two years later, Greg completed Pedal to the Peaks, in which he cycled and climbed Scafell Pike, Snowdon, and Ben Nevis.
At the time, Greg vowed he’d never take on another challenge.
But there must be something in the water as he’s busy getting his Lycra on and training.
He said: “Here I am again. I thought I’d never be so silly to say yes to Comic Relief again, but why not make it a hat-trick?”
We’re right behind you, Greg.