Scroll through those Twitter accounts with names like “Pop culture slut” or “Party like it’s 2007” and you'll see a million of them: mid-noughties starlets in their Juicy Couture tracksuits with that season's hottest accessory slung in the crook of their arm. It could’ve been a Balenciaga City Bag, maybe even a Louis Vuitton Neverfull – but more often than not it was the Marc Jacobs Stam bag, named in honour of Canadian supermodel Jessica Stam.
The Stam’s signature quilt and chunky hardware helped propel it to It-bag status from its 2005 launch, however the brand eventually phased it out in 2013 – fashion’s guard was changing, and streetwear was emerging as that decade’s dominant mode. Kim Kardashian and co were swapping out their Hervé Léger bandage dresses for bike shorts and bomber jackets, and the Stam bags went with them.
But a lot can change in ten years, and now Marc Jacobs is bringing back the iconic bit of kit with a little help from the noughties stars who defined the era. Paris Hilton, Ashlee Simpson, Selma Blair and Ashanti all star in the new campaign reviving the bag, alongside the OG herself, Jessica Stam.
Discovered by legendary fashion photographer Stephen Meisel, Stam-the-model was only 19 years old when Stam-the-bag was created by Jacobs, a wildly impressive notch on any young upstart’s CV. At the height of her power, Stam was ranked in Forbes magazine’s highest earning models of 2007 and the face of numerous campaigns for Dior, Versace, Prada, and Miu Miu to name just a few.
It makes total sense that Marc Jacobs would decide to resurrect the Stam bag at the height of a never ending Y2K resurgence. The brand seems to be following in the footsteps of Gucci, who brought the Tom Ford era Horesbit clutch back from the dead at its AW23 show. Whether we like it or not, the noughties are well and truly back – and seemingly, they are here to stay.
