Stampd
Founder: Chris Stamp, 31, who also is one of the label’s two head designers.
Naming the brand: “Yes, it’s partly my last name,” Stamp says. “But originally I called [my first line] ‘Stampd LA’— like Iwas stamping the vibe of L.A. on the shoes.”
Headquartered: Downtown’s warehouse district Beginnings: Starting as an online sneaker customization business under the Stampd LA name, Stamp sold his first three pairs of art-covered kicks in Fred Segal Conveyor in Santa Monica in 2007. After he and a business partner parted ways, he shut down the line in 2010.
Rebooted: Determined to build a brand solo, Stamp relaunched in 2011, starting with limited-edition Stampd caps. He used the profits to slowly add categories: bags, T-shirts and other basic apparel pieces, technical outerwear, jackets, hoodies, shorts and swim trunks. By 2013 the label had grown into what Stamp considers a full collection.
The look: West Coast stripped-down street wear meets-athleisure served up in a color palette that rarely strays from black and white. Pinstriped athletic shirts and warm-up shorts riff on the look of baseball uniforms, T-shirts and jackets feature technical-looking strap details, and distressed denim includes motocross-inspired quilting details.
Stamp is an avid surfer and the collection includes pixelated waves crashing across hats, Tshirts and drink coasters, palm print swim trunks, bucket hats and hoodies and even a black-andwhite, $1,800 surfboard.
“I’m a minimalist,” Stamp says. “Ifwe do color it’ll be more of an earth tone, a rich navy [blue] or hunter green or distressed indigo, but we’re not going to go crazy with super bright colors.”
Key pieces: Black, layered-sleeve button-front shirts, palm print swim trucks, indigo distressed, slim-fit five-pocket jeans and a pile of polka-dotted pieces including shorts, short sleeve shirts, hats, hoodies and tote bags.
Price range: Headgear from$44 to $140. T-shirts from$50 to $90, button-fronts from$120 to $180, and denim from$179 to $200. Outerwear offerings include hoodies ($153), bombers ($295) and quilted leather puffer jackets ($495). Footwear includes $350 leather sandals, $400 brogues and $550 boots.
Where to buy: Stampd is sold at120 retail doors globally, including American Rag, H. Lorenzo and Four Two Four aswell as through www.stampd.com.
Collaborations: Past collaborators include Kith and Vans. A foot wear and apparel collection with Puma is set to launch globally in July.
Women’s: The label offers a few female-specific pieces, including one-piece swimsuits and a handful of crop tops. Stamp describes his customer base as “70% to 80% male” and says that he’s working to build thew omen’s side of the business.
Sales: “I will say I currently have16 employees and an additional five contractors and I’ve been hiring employees at a pretty steady rate for the last three years,” Stamp says.”
Onthe horizon: “[A] brick-and-mortar [store] is definitely in my sights, hopefully before the end of 2015, says Stamp. “Here in L.A.”