With the fourth runway settlement well underway, Stamm’s playful storytelling brought hard utility to soft ground.
If there is one collection that encapsulated a high degree of wit—with an even higher degree of personal expression—it would be Stamm. After stumbling a bit with a Fall outing that was heavy on literal—and rather functional—references, the brand got itself back on track with its Spring 2025 show.
It hasn’t abandoned the practical, utilitarian and other sports-inspired treatments it likes to indulge in, but working with the perhaps unlikely duality of the work-meets-leisure life, it came up with something considerably lighter.
“That’s exactly what I love about fashion,” opined Elisabet Stamm, adding that, “To me it’s mostly felt when it’s created from layers and to me it’s the greatest playground of storytelling and equally substance of materials; It’s quite often challenging when I also strive from including and embracing foreign exchange and affairs, but that’s how I am.”
The show began in quite literal fashion in a breezy, neutral-toned look that had denim and primary silks, worn over knee-high boots. So here’s the thing: do you want the simplicity of a stark, loosened up silhouette? It’s here. Are you craving a dose of pared-pack opulence with a retro edge? That’s here, too. And what about a sexy, finely-sculpted gown that hugs the body? Look no further.
“I’m really walking the line and though I sometimes feel that it’s lonely, I feel empowered,” she said. “Since my ambition with Stamm is that it must always be bigger than me, then naturally I hope people will feel something: Uplifted and empowered,” she concludes.
In one way, Stamm’s collection was a feat of cool genius. She’d started off by making ample denim pieces, elongating volumes around the body to make finely-sculpted dresses, blouses and shirts—a step on from the free-flowing textiles of her Fall collection.
What makes her so special, however, is the humility and modernity of her focus. Instead of getting lost in her practice, she notes how “The balance of work and life must sit right within, likewise the duality felt in my journey in all of our journeys, as there’s so much up in the air and I sense this not only from politics to religion and to various communities speaking up; It’s somehow like we are all pointing fingers, looking to place all the frustration.”
The result was a tour de force of practicality and simplicity sparkled up with the most outrageously oversized fabrics. Which is why, in a season when so many designers have anxiously predicted what consumers want amid a systemic recession, Stamm has intuited one of the best answers: give us more, give us pragmatism, but never slam the door on the possibility of utter brilliance.
by Chidozie Obasi