Wouldn’t it be great to have a cool grandparent? Or better still, be one? Well, that’s the situation that 71-year-old, Slovenia-born Alojz Abram and his photographer grandson, Jannik Diefenbach, find themselves in today. Alojz, a retired gaffer now living outside of Frankfurt, Germany, has a penchant for wearing Supreme caps, Thrasher hoodies, and Vans shoes. And Jannik is getting him to model the threads for his Instagram account and making Alojz famous along the way. Alojz’s interest in streetwear began a year ago after paying attention to his grandson’s clothes. He also stalked Jannik on Facebook to see what brands his grandson “liked”. Then he hit Google to do more research and voilà – a style icon was born. Most people love Alojz's new wardrobe, although he does get a couple of strange looks on the street from people his own age. But the fans far outweigh the haters. Do you think you could be a cool grandparent?
Alojz says the only thing missing from his extensive wardrobe is a Supreme hoodie.
The 71-year-old loves streetwear but only if the situation calls for it. “When I’m with my family, I know it may not be the best occasion to wear streetwear,” he said.
Alojz likes to stand out and be different. “Living in Mainz, even though it’s near Frankfurt, people here dress very boring,” he said. “I like the fact that my clothes pop; people notice."
Alojz says he doesn’t know much about Stüssy’s backstory. “But I know the basics about Supreme—it started as a skate brand and now it’s collaborating with Louis Vuitton," he said.
What does Alojz's wife think of his fashion sense?
Jannik says his grandfather wears adidas Pharrell's Human Race NMD, but he doesn’t know who Pharrell is. "But he likes the look of the shoe,” says Jannik. “It’s something different, and with the Boost, he’s older so comfort is more important to him than just how a shoe looks."
Alojz says he’s been getting positive responses on his new wardrobe. “My wife loves it,” he said. “She's really happy about it. My family in Slovenia has seen the pictures on Facebook and Instagram and they like it as well.”
Sure, Alojz gets strange looks from people his own age but that’s overshadowed by the Instagram love. “Sometimes I get personal messages on Instagram saying that I've got the coolest grandpa in the world and that they love him,” says Jannik. “Girls comment on the pics and say he's the cutest guy.”
Being a streetwear model and social media star is quite a pleasant surprise for Alojz. “I didn't expect this, but I'm definitely very happy about it,” he said. A photograph of Alojz posted onto Jannik’s Instagram account can get up to 4000 likes.
At what age will Alojz give up wearing streetwear?
Despite doing his research, Alojz insists he isn’t a slave to any brand. "The important thing for me is that it's lightweight,” he said.
His favourite clothing are two Adidas track jackets —one in black and the other in camouflage.
He says that streetwear fashion has no restrictions when it comes to age. “I'd say that I'm not too old and that there is no such thing as ‘too old’,” he said. “As long as I feel comfortable wearing streetwear, all these brands, I'll continue it.”
And Alojz final bit advice of to the human race? “Stay young,” he said.
Share if you got a kick out of Alojz's story.
h/t Complex
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