2021: Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp’s first and only secret store and studio in Harmarket. RTTS attracts a clientele who wants luxury but is perhaps at
times ashamed by their indulgence in a pursuit shamed by lingering progressive anti-pleasure politics. RTTS does not look like a stereotypical luxury brand, nor is it but the client to this store is very intentional, it is not a whim that they might buy a piece, but a calculated and likely saved-for decision by an individual who could only afford to do so quite rarely. This is echoed in the output of RTTS work: the adjustable fashion piece is democratised - it is available to all clients: the wearer, the artist, the designer, want luxury but are unable to fully declare this - in fear of fainting allegiance with the bourgeoisie upper class leisure galore elite? The store features laboured details on cheap materials, references to historical time affluence moments, fragments of precious material. The act of buying a piece of fashion and wearing a piece of fashion are very different events: the act of buying is one of escapism and self-gifted
luxury, the wearing is perhaps one of more self expression and comfort. What would a garden of eden look like without the guilt? But, indulging in luxury is not necessarily about just
a moment of self-indulgence, but more a moment of reclaiming a previously and currently
upper class-only act. Of course this is a retail project and it does adhere to existing financial-based exclusion (something to work on...). Thanks Niamh for letting us chat luxury and indulge each other.
