Joy Wanjiru Ngochi, Andrew Ochieng' Onyango and Makena Thoya.
Young people are walking out with clothes that you would otherwise find in your grandparents’ closet, and it’s not for irony. Employing a lot of boldness and attitude, they are slowly re-imagining the once ‘frumpy’ look into a badge of coolness.
Grandma’s headscarf is now a silky top, her sprig-print tea dresses are worn with sneakers, her sweaters are making fashion statements in music videos (Alikiba went viral for rocking one), and her long, flowy skirts are paired with layers of accessories and tiny crop tops.
They are also raiding grandpa’s closet and wearing his knit cardigans with their baggy jeans or cargo pants, and his boxy, oversized blazers over their miniskirts and slip dresses. His suspenders, waist coats, tweed caps, loafers, and high-waisted pants haven’t been spared either.
Joy Wanjiru Ngochi is a fashion creative, otherwise known as ‘Sir Wanjiru’ and she sees fashion as an expression of her daily life. Heavily invested in the ‘grandmacore’ aesthetic, Wanjiru inherited her late grandmother’s wardrobe, and she wears the pieces without any alterations.
Joy Wanjiru Ngochi during the interview on October 15. Her style is chic, eccentric and retro.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the past, but I’m a 2000s baby who didn’t experience it. So, I choose to live vicariously through fashion and art,” she explains.
“The art from back then was so cool. It was bold and expressive, and people honoured their cultures, unlike now, where we are borrowing too much from Western influences.”
Joy, who describes her style as chic, eccentric, retro, and very personal, says that while she incorporates other pieces from the ‘old-fashioned’ collection - skirts, shoes, scarves, sweaters, even afro-shaped wigs- she mostly gravitates toward accessories, coats, and blouses.
Gesturing to the outfit she has on during the interview, she reveals, “This is actually my grandmother’s coat. Even the shirt is hers, and these are glasses that she would wear.”
Joy’s grandmother took care of her whenever her parents went to work, and she remains a big influence on not only her fashion but on who she is and how she sees the world.
“She was really good with fashion. She was also a strong woman who raised two boys on her own while juggling a nursing career. In her time, this was a really difficult feat,” Joy acknowledges. “Taking her pieces is my way of paying homage and grieving her. She was like a second mum to me.”
Other than her grandmother’s wardrobe, Joy gets her outfits from thrift shops.
“I look for pieces that someone’s grandmother would wear, the kind that most people would shy away from,” she says. “My friends also gift me a lot, and my mum, who is a fashionista as well, buys me pieces whenever she comes across them.”
From Pinterest to closet
Her love for the aged aesthetic goes back in 2020 when she first got a phone and joined Pinterest. It was there that she saw art and items like vinyls that were reminiscent of an era before her time. But it wasn’t until this year that she tapped into the fashion side of it. And even then, it came gradually.
“When I started, I would look at the clothes and wonder, can I really wear this out in public?” She says. “So I would wear them at home and take pictures until I got confident enough to walk out in them.”
To make the look her own, she throws in modern elements of dressing, like layering, where she’d wear a corset over a vintage shirt or a skirt with a pair of wide-legged pants. She also plays around with the styling and can transform a blouse into a crop top or simply pair a vintage outfit with modern shoes.
For her bold fashion statement, she has received a bag of mixed reactions,
“I’m accepted at home. My mum gets it, and whenever my father sees me dressed in my grandmother’s clothes, he is reminded of her in a good way.”
Public reception
Joy is also well-received on social media and in the fashion community and attests to receiving many appreciative glances and compliments while out in public.
But every coin has two sides, and this is no different.
“I hear things like, ‘wear normal clothes’ or ‘dress your age’ a lot. Sometimes I could just be walking in town, and a random guy who is maybe having a bad day comes up to me and asks why I’m dressed as I am.”
But it’s all water off her back.
“I honestly don’t care. It’s okay for someone to think my dressing is not normal because they are in their own world, and that’s their perception. And there is probably something they do that seems absurd to someone else. Normal is relative.”
A positive takeaway from her fashion engagement has been the transformation of her attitude toward ageing or old things.
“I used to be scared of growing old. A part of me still is, but going back to the past and seeing how gracefully fashion has aged reminds me that it is a blessing. Just being able to wear and embrace something that was worn by people before me, things that I can even pass down to my children, has given me a newfound respect for older people and how they view style and fashion.”
To creatives who are looking to explore but are hesitant, Joy’s charge is to do research, consume the art, and then do it scared.
“It’s hard to like something that you don’t understand, so start with understanding it first. Look for people who are doing it in a way that you like and then go from there.”
Grandpacore aesthetic
Andrew ‘Andy’ Ochieng, is a fashion model, stylist and an upcycling fashion designer who also subscribes heavily to the ‘grandpacore’ aesthetic. He describes his style as unique and timeless, and it all began with a pair of suspenders.
Andrew Ochieng' Onyango during the interview on October 15. His style is unique and timeless.
“I was in high school when a friend gave me some suspenders. I tried them on, and it turned out very nice. I felt like this was my style.”
But the roots behind his fashion preference go a little deeper than that fleeting moment.
“I grew up around my grandfather, and I liked how he would dress and carry himself. It just seemed like an easier way to live compared to how we live now.”
To connect to the good old days, he now dresses in vintage clothing. But it’s also about creativity, sustainability, and comfort for the young campus student, who has even worn an old crocheted seat cover (the kind you’ll find on your grandmother’s sofa set in the village) under a hat as a headpiece.
Touch of sustainability
“I’m an advocate for sustainable fashion. And because most of these outfits are being recycled and reused, they are quite affordable. But other than that, I feel very comfortable in these clothes. I have tried different styles, but I don’t feel comfortable in some of them.”
Blending everything, from cardigans, coats, trousers, shoes, bags, belts, and hats, Andy says there is nowhere his vintage fits can’t go. An office interview? No problem, vintage official to the rescue. A wedding? Funeral? Easy, it all fits right in. His rule is simple: have a touch of vintage, whether it’s the colour, pattern, material, or design.
Like Joy, Andy was not confident in his style at first.
“I would style an outfit, then take half an hour thinking about it, and end up changing to a ‘normal’ outfit.” It went on like this until someone, a lady, noticed his style in campus.
“I dressed in vintage one day and she took some photos, sent them to me, then asked to take regular photos of my outfits. It was because of her that I finally felt courageous and confident in my outfits.”
Andy recalls how harsh comments kept him off social media for a month, but he also fondly remembers the priceless reactions of older people.
“You just see the nostalgia in their faces, and even if they don’t say it out aloud, you will see them smile and know you’ve connected with them.”
With an unexplainable appreciation and affection for old things now, Andrew’s encouragement is to “Dress in whatever way you want as long as you’re happy.”
Transgenerational style
Makena Thoya not only wears grandma’s clothes, she also resells them on an online store called Ur Grandma Thrifts (UGT).
Makena Thoya, runs Ur Grandma Thrifts, an online store that sells vintage clothing. Herstyle is whimsical with a bit of Y2K.
“I’d describe my style as whimsical with a bit of Y2K and alternative.”
Her go-to pieces include long skirts with a nice detail to them (either in their material or pattern), knitted cardigans, which she feels are “timeless and can go with any outfit”, and large handbags, which are simply more efficient. Compared to the small handbags that are in the trends today, she says, “they make more sense”.
In vintage fashion, the whimsical Makena finds a quiet prestige that cannot be found in fast fashion, but of course, it helps that the aesthetic promotes self-expression and sustainability even as it makes a statement.
“It’s shopping second-hand so it’s already sustainable, and most of these pieces, especially the leather bags and shoes, are really good quality such that you can even hand them down in your generation,” she says. “You also get very unique pieces, which you can comfortably express yourself and stand out in.”
Sources of inspiration
The women in her life - her mother, her sister - are supportive, and her grandmother, she says, “is very cool and dresses really nice. I have shirts and jackets from her closet, but I wouldn’t say she inspires my outfits. My inspiration mostly comes from Pinterest, my online friends, and my own delusions.”
Like Andy, it makes her day when octogenarians acknowledge her style.
“I love it so much! I can’t count how many times that has happened! I was in town recently when this older woman stopped me and said she loved my outfit. I also loved what she was wearing, and I told her the same, but it just felt so cool that we could swap outfits and it would be okay.”
When naming her business, Makena wanted it to set an expectation for the buyer of what to expect from the store, and so far, so good.
Her customers are mostly young people between 18 and 26, but she says she has sold to people as young as 12 years old, all the way to some in their 50s.
“I’ve seen people coming with their mums and they both get something, and others shopping for their aunties, and it’s very interesting how transgenerational these clothes are.”
Most in-demand
Her most in-demand items now are tops, but Makena says she also receives specific requests where her customers take screenshots of social media trends and aesthetics and ask her to find them similar pieces.
“It’s called style bundles, and I love doing it. In fact, I currently have two such requests.”
Now planning a fashion show to display the grandma aesthetic, Makena marvels at the progressiveness of fashion and how one can mix elements from different times to express themselves beautifully.
As she signs off, she drops a few thrifting tips from her experience.
“Be very patient, but also, for the ladies, always check the children’s section. It’s mainly for children, but you can find a lot of good pieces. Try your luck there and you might be surprised.”
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