Stone Island takes its Navigation Series go the racetrack for its fifth instalment, titled Traction Control. Created with photographer and filmmaker Liam MacRae, the latest chapter explores the relationship between navigation and motorsport, turning the circuit into a setting for a new interpretation of the brand’s iconic Compass Rose.
First introduced in April 2023, the Navigation Series draws inspiration from the compass embroidered on Stone Island’s badge, which has featured in the brand’s collections since its beginnings in 1982. The emblem represents Stone Island’s constanf drive towards exploration and its forward-looking approach to design. Through MacRae’s ongoing campaign, that idea takes shape in a series of visual diptychs, pairing scenes of movement with creative interpretations of the compass in different environments.
Leaving a Mark on the Circuit
For Traction Control, MacRae turns his attention to motorsport, where speed, precision and control define every moment. The first image captures a rider performing a bornout on the circuit, with the resulting tyre marks forming the Stone Island compass. The track becomes a canvas, transforming a motorsport manoeuvre into an unexpected navigational symbol.
The accompanying portrait shifts the focus from the wider circuit to the rider. Framed tightly, the image centres on a helmet wrapped with the Stone Island Compass, reworking the brand’s emblem through the visual language of racing. The two photographs explore different expressions of navigation: one leaves the compass behind on the track, while the other carries it forward.
Stone Island Takes Over Monza
The project also moves beyond the photographic campaign, with Traction Control appearing across the grounds of Monza, one of Italy’s most recognizable racing circuits. Large-scale billboards placed throughout key areas of the historic venue brought MacRae’s imagery directly into an environment associated with engineering, speed and performance.
Five Chapters of Navigation
Since its launch, the Navigation Series has explored different environments and ways of interpreting the Compass Rose. Its earlier chapters include Search + Rescue in April 2023, Shedding Light in April 2024 and Under the Radar in August 2025.
With Traction Control, Stone Island continues that exploration by bringing its emblem into the world of motorsport. The compass becomes both a mark left behind and a symbol carried forward, extending the series’ focus on movement and discovery into another setting.
