GRAMICCI’S 90s HERITAGE REFERENCES Most clothing brands that have been around for more than a couple of decades are partial to a bit of heritage referencing – it’s a nice way to bolster the desirability of a product through some added nostalgia. Often this is shoddily done by including an old slogan somewhere in the tag, or making a product in a slightly faded wash and throwing a few buzzwords such as ‘classic’ ‘heritage’ or ‘vintage’ into the title. But some brands go above and beyond doing the bare minimum to show an appreciation for their heritage, and one of these brands is @gramicci. Gramicci was founded all the way back in 1982 by legendary climber, Mike Graham, a pioneering Stonemaster who lived, ate and slept climbing. When he wasn’t hanging off Yosemite’s magnificent granite walls by his fingertips, he was living a carefree life surrounded by them in the climbing mecca of Camp Four. In the ’80s & ’90s, a great number of highly talented, carefree dirtbag climbers called Camp Four their home – now we’ve never been, but the stories we’ve read/heard make out that Camp Four was basically like a permanent Woodstock festival for fanatical climbing adrenaline junkies. This laid-back & carefree atmosphere surrounding Camp Four and Mike’s fellow Yosemite climbers at the time undeniably had a profound influence on Mike’s early designs for Gramicci – the colours were bright, the cuts were baggy, and the patterns were bold. These attributes led to the brand becoming very popular amongst climbers & general free spirits who roamed California in the ’90s. Since Mike departed from Gramicci in 1999, the brand has toned it down a bit, but only slightly. They’re certainly not afraid to infuse some colour into their designs and are also not shy of referencing one or two of their heritage pieces. To best convey Gramicci’s profound appreciation for their out-there, fun-loving inspired heritage, we’re going to take a look at some vintage products, and how the brand has referenced those in their modern designs.