Granny Takes A Trip Is Reviving The Spirit of the Swinging Sixties

There is no denying that the 60s are having a major moment in fashion. You only have to look at the revival of some of the decades’ defining brands like Courrèges and Rabanne or pop culture’s fascination with style icons like CZ Guest and Lee Radziwell as portrayed in Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans as proof. While Paris and New York have already made their mark looking back at the era, London is officially getting into the swing of things with the reintroduction of one of the youthquake’s cult-favourite shops; Granny Takes A Trip.

Established in 1966 by Sheila Cohen, Nigel Waymouth and tailor John Pearse, the iconic King’s Road boutique was a pioneer of the psychedelic movement with their eclectic curation of clothes and ephemera. The shop was famed for its Art Nouveau interior that made shopping akin to riffling through your granny’s wardrobe, making it a must-stop shop on a street rife with era-defining boutiques. Still, it isn’t the maximalist approach that’s come to define the brand’s relaunch, it’s the founders' spirit for sustainability.

The boutique’s foundations were originally laid out as a way to manage Cohen’s incomparable collection of vintage garments collected over years perusing London market stalls. With the expert hand of Pearse, antique clothing was transformed into contemporary collections coveted by the city’s sartorial rebels driven by a need for originality. Thanks to London’s street style trendsetters, it didn’t take long for A-listers, including The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and more to discover Granny.

How its founders reimagined the past for contemporary wardrobes is what defines Granny’s 21st-century revamp. Spearheaded by chief executive Marlot te Kiefte — formerly of Wales Bonner and Haider Ackermann — and head of design Phoebe Button with a group of private investors (including The Rolling Stones), set up a model that only utilises resources that already exist. Reclaiming its status as the precursor to today’s up-cycling wave appropriated by emerging brands like Hodakova and Marine Serre.

That is, just like in 1966, stock is determined by secondhand clothing, deadstock waste fabrics, and even excess music merchandise that are refreshed into new garments. ‘We know about the scale of the fashion industry’s waste problem and this is really an opportunity to transform the system that drives newness and desirability into one that is truly built on circulatory’, explains te Kiefte.

This brand circularity extends to Granny’s new rental model where an archive of rare-one off designer rarities and unique upcycled pieces will be available to audiences once they’ve signed up for either free or paid memberships. The latter is sure to unlock no shortage of exclusive offers that have yet to be revealed by the brand.

‘We want to challenge the notion of ownership — differentiating between the everyday clothes we live in and the special clothes we want to be seen in,’ te Kiefte explains. ‘The everyday clothes can be bought and special pieces rented’. Much like the argument for digital fashion’s sustainable implications,

So what do the clothes look like? More so inspired by the ethos established by Cohen, Waymouth and Pease, Granny’s first drop is a far cry from the decade-defining psychedelia that would inspire 70s glam-rock. Rather, it reflects the pared-back effortlessness of today’s fashion-conscious consumers. Louche bomber jackets and denim trousers rendered from ornate tapestry are sure to pique the interest of clientele new and old, while motorcycle leathers reworked into sleek jackets and skirts will appeal to today's streetwear crown.

An excess of denim and leather are transformed into panelled jackets and trousers, while everyday wardrobe essentials are elevated like T-shirts stitched with strips of leather. And for the statement-makers out there, a bold, croc-embossed leather trench coat is sure to command any room you enter.

While the boutique's original fans might miss Granny's psychedelic designs that harken to a bygone era, it's how the brand is looking to the past to inform a greener future that should captivate today's fashion fanatics. 'From the continued greenwashing perpetuated in the industry to the homogeneity of style fed to modern-day consumers via an algorithm, people want better. Today innovation has to lie within the wider system and not just the product.' A statement that's hard to argue with.

Discover the new Granny Takes A Trip at granny.london.