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Niamh Galea started RAMP TRAMP TRAMP STAMP accidentally. Four years ago, the Sydney designer created an Instagram account to showcase her graduate portfolio as part of a university assignment and soon after, it kicked off.
"I've always been a little fashion nerd," Galea tells Refinery29 Australia. "But because I'm like a size 18, I never quite fit into the acceptable, normal fashion industry that was around when I grew up."
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It wasn't so much taking matters into her own hands to change the game, but simply a reflection of her own style that just so happens to also subvert expectations and redefine who fashion is made by and who it's meant for — with identity, inclusivity and sustainability at the heart of the brand's ethos.
This sentiment is reflected in the brand's name, which is often abbreviated to 'RTTS', after Galea was called a "ramp tramp" by an LA skater boy. "I looked it up and it basically means like a slut for skater boys, and it's like, rude! But also, true!" she jokes. The second half was cemented when Galea tried to get a tramp stamp tattoo, but struggled to find an artist to do it.
"It's so funny that I've chosen two words that in such specific communities are degrading terms, so we're trying to recreate pride around that," she says.
Lace, frills, pastels and cut-outs dominate the current RAMP TRAMP TRAMP STAMP collection, which can be spotted on cool people on the streets of Sydney or Melbourne any given day. It came up time and time again in the Marrickville Refinery29 Street View collection, with Inner West locals proudly sporting RTTS jumpers, t-shirts and toile tops.
Galea adores that her pieces are worn by all, regardless of gender, and describes her demographic as people who love themselves, or are at least on a journey towards that path. "They're like conscious consumers who want to wear things that represent how they feel, what they believe in," she says, adding that it's not just young people who rock it. "My grandma has an RTTS tracksuit!"
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Next February, RAMP TRAMP TRAMP STAMP will be launching its second full commercial collective, which Galea is excited for. The signature Yummy Mummy velour tracksuit with hand-bleached illustrations and the brand's staple lingerie will thankfully make another appearance.
"Someone recently described RAMP TRAMP TRAMP STAMP as like, weirdly sexy," says Galea. "Which I love. It is really sexy, but definitely not in a way that people expect." The aesthetic, in her words, is dirty and scruffy but also equal parts casual and comfortable, for the best of both worlds.
RTTS pieces are unique thanks to the often vintage and deadstock fabric she sources. For example, Galea got her hands on hundreds of 2000s baby tees, cut a hole in the chest and got them printed on — a style that is now one of her bestsellers.
Recently the patchwork G-string and asymmetrical leotard flew off the shelves, with Galea sharing that she's glad people are warming up to more experimental pieces. The former is made from remnants and offcuts from other pieces to reduce waste and ensure each piece is individual. "A big part of my practice is taking existing fabrics and collaging and working them to give them a new life and a new context," she shares.
While next year's drop is being kept under wraps, Galea tells Refinery29 Australia that she recently sourced a massive pile of vintage deadstock fabric from a warehouse in LA for her second collection, which will be turned into pieces you won't find anywhere else in Australia.
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Galea looks to her past and present for inspiration, citing Y2K Vogue magazines, her mentors and internship at disruptive US fashion label Eckhaus Latta, and of course, her nearest and dearest, whose work she helps sell at her 'secret' store and studio RTTS.land.
"My friends — the way they dress in vintage and make things fit them — I find that so inspiring. To not go into a shop and be like, 'Oh, is the size 10 or the 12 better' and it looks exactly the same, but being like, 'Oh my god, I love this weird, frilly blouse and if it doesn't fit, I don't care. I'm gonna wear it around my neck if I have to'," she says. "That kind of playful way of dressing is just so inspiring."
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