Stamm turns down the volume in a show that came from the heart
This review is brought to you in collaboration with Bolou Fine Jewellery
Stamm, Tuesday, August 6, 2024 at 5 PM, Bellakvarters Aktivitetstag
Before most shows are reviewed, the journalist receives a press release that gives a bit of insider information about the collection. These are usually functional and to the point with a run down of fabrics and shapes and a bit about the inspiration. Elisabet Stamm, founder and creator and all round boss lady of her eponymous brand, did things differently this time, instead sending out a heart-felt and quite emotional letter that placed the show in context of her family (name checking her son and her father), her feelings about the world in general and the very real struggles involved in running a fledgling business on a shoe-string. Clearly she is a designer who wears her heart on her sleeve and the crowd, sat on benches in a circle on a roof top basketball court under a blazing sun were here to support her.
For some reason the show started with a bunch of children running into the centre of the court and releasing a couple of dozen pigeons from baskets. As a metaphor for freedom or release it was a bit clumsy and the use of animals – even feral birds – in shows should not be encouraged but when the actual models arrived, we began to relax. Stamm is known for her very outsized garments with some jackets in previous shows being of gargantuan scale. This season she had turned down the volume and aside from a couple of scaled up bomber jackets (which still looked great) and flowing coats, her silhouettes were slimmer and sometimes even body con. A few tops and dresses featured somewhat tortured hoods when pulled up over the head but when worn loose created a lovely draped detail on the back. Bigger pants were sometimes pulled into shape with straps or pulled down to hang loose around the hips. Y2K showed its influence in cropped tops that TLC would be proud of (shown on both men and women) and when these were matched with tiny briefs and baggy boots with Japanese symbols printed on to them, there was a defiant power girl dynamic that eventually turned manga with pink and turquoise wigs. Slogans brandished across the chest of t-shirts and hoodies demanded ‘Be Good’ or, maybe for those that failed that mission, ‘Guilty’ though the judgement was softened a little by naive heart-shaped motifs (apparently drawn by Stamm’s son).
Stamm continued the theme of her letter with postage inspired clutch bags and, rather movingly, her father’s signature written across denim that seemed smeared in the oil and dirt she saw on his overalls (he is a truck driver). Throughout the collection, worn finishes on fabrics such as a blend of banana linen and paper that was then charcoal dyed both showed Stamm’s commitment to innovation and an understanding that patina on clothes gives character and tells a story. And when this particular chapter finished, after Elisabet had taken her bow, the rest of her team ran onto the stage and embraced the models in a show of solidarity. Maybe Stamm’s letter was a love letter after all.
See a selection of the show looks below and see the entire collection here.
