As Los Angeles has become a breeding ground for a new guard in menswear, one of the leading names out of the City of Angels has been Chris Stamp. His label, Stampd, has made a name turning out reliable and fairly affordable pieces that lie right in that middle ground between the high and the low and has grown in leaps and bounds over the past couple of years. The brand made its New York Fashion week debut yesterday with its newest collection for Fall/Winter 2016 that showed that the growth isn't slowing down.
As the room filled with fog that reached waist high at times and models mounted on top of pedestals, the Snarkitecture-designed set felt sort of like a peaceful war zone. The collection, which Stamp titled "The New Soldier," was right at home with big, technical parkas, jackets with removable liners, distressed knits made from alpaca blends, and smart layering, styled by Complex's own Matthew Henson. "'The New Soldier’ collection is focused closely on classic military detailing with a palette centered on natural color,” Stamp told Complex, noting that it "starts with monochromatic cues, transforming down to a washed-through color palette including angora, shiitake, pewter, and indigo."
One coat in particular, a long cashmere trench, took inspiration from a WWI officer coat with wide lapels and cuffs and the wrist. So it seems appropriate (if not completely obvious) to say "mission accomplished."
"Welcome to the future of menswear," Stamp said. But it's not only menswear from Stampd that is cause for optimism. With plans of opening its first store in Los Angeles soon and the upcoming women's collection in the pipeline, the future is looking bright across the board.
