What Are Those: Gramps

Meet the world’s most stylish granddad.

On 6 January 2017, Jannick Diefenbach shared his first post of his granddad, Alojz Abram or Gramps as he is more popularly known, dressed in a streetwear fit with a pair of Nike x Supreme Air Max 98 sneakers on his feet. Since then, Gramps has gone viral around the world and amassed more than 1.7 million followers on Instagram. Today, Gramps’ stacked collection features sought-after collaborative kicks from the likes of Nike x Jacquemus, adidas x Gucci, and many more. Below, the pair discusses their journey and affinity for sneakers.

SHOP SNEAKERS

“Enjoy life. Just do it; don’t be scared of trying things.”

How did this all start?

We’ve been doing this for more than six and a half years now so it’s been quite a while. During Christmas of 2016, I came to Gramps and asked him if he wanted to try on my clothing. It was a fun idea. Gramps said yes, surprisingly. He looked amazing and I had to take pictures of him. Everyone loved seeing Gramps in these cool clothing and sneakers. That was the start of everything.

Gramps, do you have any advice for those looking to follow in your footsteps?

Enjoy life. Just do it; don’t be scared of trying things. Nice clothes and shoes are also good.

How do you like to style your sneakers? White socks or more playful options?

We keep it white. White socks are superior. Colourful socks are fun but white socks are…[chef’s kiss].

How big is your collection of sneakers?

People might imagine that our collection of shoes is huge, and it is big, but we sometimes give stuff away to friends and family. We also sell some. It’s an amazing hobby but it can be expensive to have shoes. The collection is reasonably sized now and it is very well-curated.