When Kyle Kivijärvi began posting images of well-dressed elderly people to his personal Instagram page back in 2015, he had no idea it would soon end up as its own fully-fledged brand.
However, it's now 2023 and I’m speaking to Kivijärvi ahead of his Gramparents label’s forthcoming exhibition in London on June 2 with clothing brand Studio Nicholson.
“I started out by posting a series of images of older adults and the elderly on my personal instagram page during my weekend museum and gallery trips in New York,” Kivijärvi tells Highsnobiety.
“It then became a regular thing that my small following of friends and family really enjoyed seeing, so I decided these images needed a home of their own. I came up with the name Gramparents and started an Instagram page in 2016.”
Eight years in and Gramparents boasts almost 250,000 followers, as well as its own merch line which recently dropped a collaboration with famed Japanese label BEAMS.
While it was never Kivijärvi’s intention to create a label or clothing out of something that was merely a bit of fun, he admits that the way elderly people dress has become almost something of a fascination for him.
“Their style is never over the top, it’s not offensive and it's always honest and simple,” he says. “I love seeing well-aged garments still being cared for and worn today. I'm personally just drawn to classics no matter what they are, and the older generation is keeping those classics alive.”
As Highsnobiety’s own Jake Silbert penned just last month, it’s time to reject modernity and embrace elderly and, clearly, Kivijärvi agrees.
Sure, it might sound relatively simple to take a picture of an older person wearing a pair of New Balance 990s or a cable knit jumper, or holding a tote bag, but for Kivijärvi there’s an art to finding the perfect fit.
“Not all of them [older people] have it,” says Kivijärvi. “Some are coming with the intent to be fashionable, but a lack of caring definitely contributes to the cool factor. What you wear shouldn't be the reason why we preserve someone to be cool or uncool — I've certainly met some extremely well dressed assholes.”
To celebrate both the Gramparents movement and the rise of the elderly style trend, Kivijärvi will team up with Studio Nicholson to launch an exhibition of photography at their brand new HQ in East London.
Taking place on On June 2, 2023, in the vast and open light-filled space on the edge of London Fields, a carefully curated selection of image titled “Senior Snaps” will be put in display, a selection of images that slots perfectly into the Studio Nicholson ethos of ageless wardrobe modularity.
As long time supporters of Kivijärvi and Gramparents, a collaborative venture made total sense for Studio Nicholson founder, Nick Wakeman, a woman whose collection of moodboards regularly feature candid shots taken from the Gramparents feed.
“Collaboratively we came up with our favorite images from the page and narrowed it down to the few we enjoy most and get inspiration from,” explained Kivijärvi of the exhibition.
“I think what we have pulled together for this show is great and I'm super excited for the public to come enjoy these images framed on a gallery wall and not just from their instagram feeds.”
