Elisabet Stamm curates a “zen garden” at Copenhagen Fashion Week to present a tightly-edited AW25 collection
Scroll through designer Elisabet Stamm’s camera roll and you’ll find countless images of roses. “Every day in the morning for the past for years, I’ve been in a rose garden closed to where I lived,” says the Stamm creative director. “And I realised that I have so many flower pictures on my phone and I was like, ‘That’s a bit tacky’.” But behind these generically poetic images are Stamm herself, “maybe a bit stressed out, and smoking”. Another tacky thing that finds its way into Stamm’s iPhone: inspirational quotes that say, in one way or another, ‘follow your dreams’.
All of this led to the starting point for Stamm autumn/winter '25: passion. Though it’s a key ingredient to the success of an emerging brand (Stamm herself has it, palpably), saying so aloud can sound a little trite. “With me, you can say, ‘Is it serious or is it iconic?” says Stamm. “And I think it’s both.”
Opting for a presentation format rather than a show, Stamm presents a tightly-edited offering of clothes with both consumers and retailers at top of mind. “Sustainability should also be financial sustainability,” says Stamm, who for the past couple seasons has staged ambitious, concept-heavy runways featuring many, many looks. “I made this statement, ‘Yes to everything’, and that’s definitely not in my new season. I’m not going to say yes to everything from now on.”
Set within what Stamm describes as a “zen garden”, populated with patches of turf and a serene pool of water, the designer presents just a handful of looks, on models chilling about the second-floor loft space. There’s still an emphasis on wide-silhouetted streetwear, but the fits are less extreme than in season’s past. Instead, there’s a focus on materials and treatments – a notion that she promises will be at the forefront of the brand moving forward. “I’m very hungry to work more on the craft,” she says, noting that the distressed, over-dyed denim on display embodies this new direction. Yes, there are puffer jackets – a Stamm staple – but the shapes are pared down, cropped and boxy (albeit for a white puffer bride, lounging on the grass, scribbling in a notebook). Bullet holes and that word, passion, in bold red font, adorn hoodies and jerseys — indicating a willingness to die for one’s craft.
This is Stamm’s passion taking a new, more considered form. But don’t fret – that go-for-it spirit is still there. In fact, nestled in the presentation are two artists – a drummer and a writer – performing their passions live, just as Stamm is performing hers.
See Stamm's full autumn/winter '25 collection below.
