Chris Stamp Talks Creativity, at the LA Launch of his Third collaboration with Puma
Celebrated L.A. designer Chris Stamp, launched his third capsule collection with Puma recently and we caught up with him to discuss what it means to be street-chic, where he likes to shop and how important it is for him to inspire kids to be creative.
His designs pass the celery test, only stock if it’s fresh, crisp and clean. A brand that debuted with a snapback and then ventured into the fashion world with a simple long tee, is now a lifestyle brand with a cult following that gives fashion forward men (and women, because the brand is worn by both even though you may think its traditionally a men’s line), a ‘stamp,’ of approval when it comes to wearing black, white and neutral tones.
His brand boasts a fresh approach to street wear. But it found its roots in Stamp’s childhood. “It’s the whole thing that didn’t exist when I was growing up listening to hip hop, surfing and skating,” he said at the Los Angeles launch of his third capsule collection with Puma. “It’s an in-between happening for men and I think we’re leading the path in that direction. We are making what we like. ”
The designer and his closest friends at the launch of his third collection with Puma in Los Angeles in August.
Well, it just so happens that a lot of people like it. Even though, nobody according to Stamp has even been able to define the look. “I don’t think it’s ever been described properly,” he continued. “Last year GQ called it Avant-street. I don’t know if there is a segment or a way that it is explained properly but I don’t even think it matters, if you like it buy it.”
As for what he likes, Stamp is not shy about the fact that he loves his own designs. It is pretty much all he wears, unless he’s abroad where he likes to find new and exotic things. “For clothing I wear Stampd stuff,” he said. “I am a huge sneaker person so I love buying sneakers and I love leather goods. When I’m buying stuff, it’s usually when I’m traveling in a different city. I was just in Copenhagen, I was buying interior stuff for our new office. When I go to Japan, I get the same kind of stuff. I’m not a crazy spender but when I do, I like to find details throughout the world.”
Life wasn’t always one of financial success for Stamp. As a child he couldn’t spend money the way he may have liked. “I didn’t have any money to buy what I wanted,” he said. “For me it was staying focussed, working extremely hard and never giving up. You can’t take no for an answer, you just have to keep going. Nothing is easy.”
This ambitious attitude is something Stamp likes to instill in children too. Giving back in more ways than one, is important to him and he doesn’t take his platform for granted. “I like inspiring young kids to be creative,” he said. “We’re actually donating a lot of shoes from the previous Stampd Puma season. We allocated a certain amount to give back to kids in the inner city in Los Angeles. And I also had a program where I was running a thing called ‘Study for Shoes.’ I would talk to kids about understanding that there is this section within the market where you can be a creative professional and you don’t just have to be a banker. You can get into a creative field. A lot of people don’t know you can be a designer or an artist and make money doing it so I really like to inspire kids like that.”
