At the launch of Astrid Andersen’s new line Stel, a presentation held outside on a pier, The Street’s 2002 song “Turn the Page” was blasting out of the sound system. It was a star-aligned, symbolic moment, because the London-trained designer is starting a new chapter in her fashion life, this time centering the work around herself. Andersen’s much admired namesake menswear brand was focused, colorful, and streetwise.
With Stel, she explained in a pre-show interview, “I have to sit comfortably at the center of it; perhaps even more this time because now it’s a women’s wear brand, and it is actually more about me and my personal references.” Stel also reflects Andersen’s evolution as a person. After stopping her line, the designer moved back home to Jutland in the North of Denmark and had two children.
She’s not the person she was back then. Shifting gears in fashion is not easy to do. Brands seem to take on lives of their own, and it’s easy to be pigeon-holed.
Stel breaks with some of fashion’s conventions. The label will show in-season, so what is presented will be available for purchase. At the same time, seasonality is less important in the Stel equation than relevance.
Collections will be identified by number (01, 02, and 03 were shown in Copenhagen), the concept being that you can intermingle pieces across “seasons” both in your wardrobe and on the selling floor. Andersen sees no need for a well thought-out garment to be abandoned just becaus.