Soft comfort and security from Stamm
The world's crises are all lined up and this has been an influence on Elisabet Stamm, who, with her AW24 collection, comes with a soft and loving invitation to take a break and remember the comfort of everyday life.This show review was translated from Danish to English by Graham Addinall.
LÆS DEN DANSKE UDGAVE HER
Stamm, Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at 13.00, Kunsthal Charlottenborg
There are three words that come to mind when describing Stamm’s AW24 collection: soft, cool, huge. The show started with three entrances with soft jackets, doubled in size on all sides and edges. The proportions were similar to kindergarten kids in their fathers’ jackets and it gave an instant sense of comfort and nostalgia. And that particular feeling seemed to be followed up throughout the collection.
During the show, Ephraim Raiden Rose performed with his spoken words, expressing everyday routines, but also the break from the routine that many of us often need which Stamm gives her own take on: the big hoods, huge silhouettes and down filling on top of down filling can act as an airbag against the chaos that reigns with conflicts, crises and war happening wherever you look.
A large, black robe lined with pillows in different colors gave the impression that the model had wrapped herself in her entire bed: something that many of us have wanted to do with the cold, storms and endless flus of the last few months. The same feeling was translated into a perhaps a more useful and certainly more elegant version in the floor-length, white puffer coat – also with a huge hood for protection and padding.
But there was also plenty in the collection that was exempt from the massive amounts of down filling. There were Stamm’s familiar tracksuits with wide, wide legs and there was more denim than we’ve seen from the brand before. It worked particularly well in a faded version on oversized jackets and loose trousers. An ultra-soft terrycloth has also become part of the collection, inspired, according to the press release, by a towel that Stamm had come across in a hotel in Hong Kong embellished with the text ‘Good Fortune’ on it. Along with the terrycloth, the urge to wrap oneself in all the hotel room’s delicious textiles was to be relived by extra soft sweatsuits with the word ‘POTENTIAL’ embroidered across the chest.
The color palette for the collection was also more toned down than we are used to from the brand: white, grey and black tones with elements of a delicate green. And then there were a few touches of a sharp Netto yellow on a jacket and a t-shirt. There were also some kind of shopping net, which looked like freshly unraveled Netto bags – again giving a nod to everyday routines – that was once again emphasised by Ephraim Raiden Rose’s text:
“That’s the routine. NET – MUSEUM – SVANTE’S SCHOOL – HOME. NET – MUSEUM – SVANTE’S SCHOOL – HOME. That’s the routine.”
And how many of us can’t relate to the feeling of being trapped in a routine? Having trouble breaking out and doing something extraordinary? Precisely for this reason, Elisabet Stamm has also called this collection ‘Extra Order on the Extraordinary’. The extraordinarily large silhouettes, the extraordinarily soft terry jerseys, the extraordinarily cool looks… What we probably need to be reminded of once in a while: just to take an extra portion of the extraordinary.
“Take your time to figure it out, you don’t have time to not pause.”
See a selection of the show looks below and see the entire collection here.
