‘I’m not not ready’: Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp’s AW24 collection wrestles with the complexity of motherhood

“Some of the looks play into the fantasy of motherhood, from hyper-domestic things like the aprons to more childlike pieces such as the floppy bunny ears and pyjama-like boxers.”

Founded in 2018 by Sydney-based designer Niamh Galea, Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp‘s focus as a label is on rejecting traditional fashion norms and the shame that surrounds them, instead encouraging you to dress how you feel.

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Inspired by her own brush with motherhood, Niamh’s latest 21-piece collection,  I’m Not Not Ready, combines the fantasies of childhood with the hyper-domesticity of traditional maternal roles. Below, she tells us about her experience creating I’m Not Not Ready.

Hi Niamh! In your own words, tell us about the new collection. What did you want to achieve from it?

The new collection started as they often do for me, from a moment of pain. In fact, it was exactly a year ago today when this moment happened. I found out that I was pregnant, and realised that I was not in a position to go through with the pregnancy. It was an extremely emotional and sad time for me – I knew that it couldn’t happen, yet the experience also sharpened my feelings about motherhood. It made me realise how much I do want to have children (and soon) and made me confront some of my issues with my mother.

The whole experience was very intense. The actuality of being pregnant was extremely physical in a way I had not realised it would be, [and] the fear and shame surrounding abortion hit me more than I had anticipated with my context as a privileged White woman living in a place where this process is legal.

I came to understand that termination is not the antithesis of motherhood, it’s actually a very deep and powerful experience of motherhood many people go through, often secretly or alone. The collection’s name comes from the predominant feeling I was having at the time – ‘I’m not not ready’.

My aim for the collection was for it to be something much smaller than what I have done in the past, hoping to make it more manageable for what is essentially still a one-woman brand. However the nature of the concept, as well as the unexpected and very special opportunity to do a fashion show as part of Brigid the Rebel Festival at Bondi Pavilion led it to grow into a 21-look behemoth.

What inspired each look?

I’ve been haunted by a full-body desire to mother. Just to be clear, I do not regret the termination at all – but this feeling has manifested itself in strange ways: a return to drawing (something I stopped doing because it felt childish), the raising of an elaborate lineage of children in Sims 4, a certain style of dressing, a fixation on my own childhood toys.

Some of the looks play into the fantasy of motherhood, from hyper-domestic things like the aprons to more childlike pieces such as the floppy bunny ears and pyjama-like boxers. Of course, there are faux pregnancy looks as well, such as the dress that opened the show with its empty pillow-like belly and the faux pregnancy lingerie worn by my dear friend Angel.

We love what you’ve been doing with Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp to date. How have you built from past seasons for this collection? 

Thank you! This collection does take some earlier developed styles and reimagines them within this concept, such as the Bunny Baby Tee and Bunny Mummy Tee – both based on the cult Logo Removal Baby Tee of seasons past. This being our first-ever solo runway show did give me the opportunity to work on some much more conceptual pieces that aren’t as viable for sale, such as the aforementioned faux pregnancy pieces as well as the hand-devored silk velvet, which is a very laborious textile technique. It was such a pleasure to push my work and creativity in this way.

In terms of new styles, I am particularly happy with the new Blood Babydoll Dress. That was the first piece I developed for the collection. I spent many months perfecting its fit flexibility and engineering different modes of wearing into it, such as the adjustable neckline and two different levels of under-bust tie, depending on your bust size and height. Fit flexibility is an idea I’m always exploring, but it’s rare to find a design solution that really captures the mission as this dress does.

What are your highlights from this collection?

The Blood Babydoll Dress is absolutely a highlight for me, as are the new and improved multiway tanks. This is a style I developed last season but didn’t feel like it was fully realised at that stage – the new season version comes in a lot of different fabrics and two different fits, which has made it even more versatile and exciting.

Of course, I am also obsessed with the bunny ears that come in every single fabric in the collection, once you start wearing ears casually it kind of changes how you feel moving through the world.

What might surprise people about this collection?

I think some people may have been surprised by the (almost) all-female runway – it’s not a womenswear brand or collection but it felt very important that we really lean into femininity and motherhood through the casting for the show.

People may also be surprised to know that the ghost bunny that features throughout the collection as a motif and print is based on my childhood soft toy, a sort of bunny/blanket hybrid that my grandmother handmade for each of her grandchildren when we were born. I still have both mine and my twin brother’s.

Who can you see wearing this collection?

So far, I’ve seen so many gorgeous angels wearing the collection. Despite the female-heavy show, I adore seeing it on some of the Ramp Tramp non-binaries and boys. I want to see the collection on mums, this is already happening but I really hope it resonates with anyone who has an experience with or of motherhood, even if it’s atypical in some way.

How do you envision this collection being styled?

Harriet Crawford styled the runway show and my favourite thing about her styling was all the little details. I adored how for some looks she layered up vintage stockings, ripping and laddering them as needed, and slipping our first-ever fragrance Falling in between the layers where appropriate. It felt both very ‘you tripped over in your school uniform’ and ‘you’re a mum who also has to juggle a nine to five’.

I feel like this is going to be such a popular look in the next few months, it’s an especially clever way to wear the sheer styles as you can layer nude stockings as DIY tops underneath and achieve a very sheer look without too much skin/body exposure. I also hope people find themselves wearing floppy bunny ears with everything – the ears are chicest when paired with a tank and jeans.