Stamm Copenhagen Fall 2024

Elisabet Stamm, a single mother who started her namesake brand in 2021 while she was between jobs, knows a lot about resilience. Her spring 2024 show was an affirmation of life—not the Instagram version, but as it really is, with routines, ups and downs, trials and triumphs. Given the state of the world, the designer said, “some days I was like, what can I even bring that’s not superficial? So many people are suffering right now. But I was thinking, you can always keep creating; I felt at least I can bring a hug. Because I feel that the values that I represent are sort of a unity of people, I can still bring something of value in that way.”

Those sartorial embraces were delivered via soft and XXL protective volumes, and through a presentation that showcased the power of friendship. The models walked to a moving spoken-word performance and original music by Ephraim Raiden Rose and Columbus Marslew, respectively. Both were informed by discussions with Stamm about the making of the collection.

This Dane, who studied art before getting into fashion, describes her daily routine as “Home. Netto. Museum. Svante’s School.” (Netto is a European supermarket chain, Svante is her son.) Shelter, food, art, family, purpose: These are the essentials of life for Stamm and many others whose “daily grind” exists far from the glossy fantasy world of fashion publicity.

Her focus is mainly on sports- and streetwear pieces, many with a functional look. This season, puffers were blown up to almost comically large proportions; some had snap-on draped panels and appeared in the lineup alongside track suits with beautiful multi-color insets. A drawstring at the knees of a pair of nylon pants created a nifty draped effect, and some of the denim, a new category this season, was printed with sculptural details. The gargantuan pair of jeans in look 32 projected out from the body in rave-ready panniers.

There was a different energy to this collection; it was less bright and busier than her previous outings, with more themes and categories. The relationship between sleeping bag coats and terry-cloth was difficult to suss out, yet it was clear as day that volume is the defining characteristic of Stamm’s work to date. It’s as if the designer creates a space between the body and the garment, which somehow enables her to get beyond superficialities and surfaces, in a who-we-are-is-not-our-container kind of way.

Ever sensitive to vulnerability and uncertainty, Stamm made this season’s motto, “nothing is carved in stone, but we’re walking sculptures.” Coincidentally, just weeks ago Lazoschmidl presented a collection with scarves and T-shirts that read “Living Sculpture.” Maybe this view of the human body as a work of art is a reaction to the threat of AI, a kind of reaffirmation of humans’ place in the center of things. That said, hierarchy is not of interest to Stamm; she’s focused on her work and daily routine: “Home, Netto, art, Svante’s school.” Her vision is to find beauty in the everyday, strength in the people and monuments around us. Stamm called this collection “Extra Order on the Ordinary Extra.” Make it a double.