INTERVIEW #11 GRANDPA

“Something we are very proud over is the fact that we last year decided to not participate in Black Friday. It gave us a lot of strength. It felt like a good thing to take that decision and it was the right decision. It has been a clarification of what we believe in.”

Why did you start Grandpa?

We didn’t start because we had an eagerness to work with fashion. We come from the service industry, we’ve been working with tour guiding and in the restaurant business. We are both from Stockholm and we love this city but it can be a little bit stiff. It’s exclusive in the way that it’s divided among certain areas for certain people. We wanted to start a cool store that is welcoming for all. The business idea didn’t come from providing fashion or interior design. From the start we focused on second hand. We bought clothes and furniture and didn’t even know what could be sold. That was 17 years ago. A lot of things have changed but the core of working with service, inspiration and the meeting with the customer is still there. It should be nice and welcoming.

Co-founder Jonas Pelz

How do to you pick your products/what you sell?

It has changed a lot. When we started 17 years ago, no one talked about sustainability. Some people associated us with Urban Outfitters. That wasn’t correct. We’ve never bought products made of plastic produced in China. We only wanted to sell items that we knew could be used over time. 7 years ago we revisited our business plan and decided to put on paper what we actually wanted to represent. We are not working fast with sustainability, but that perspective has always been there. We will soon launch our sustainability manifest and we are improving and developing our new criterias.

We talk a lot about what style we represent. We are not fashion, we want to have a long-term style. With style being the base, sustainability is the umbrella. With that perspective it’s about choosing the brands that can deliver both style and live up to our sustainability criterias. This is our new foundation and it’s going to be more specific - the style, the material, human condition throughout the supply chain and all the other sustainability perspectives. 

Now the customer has to be able to provide answer on each and every criteria. 

We collaborate with brands that has a sustainability agenda, we’re looking for their products who has recyclable materials and/or organic materials. We check the products, where they have been produced and so on. We also avoid brands who only have a certain part of their collection more sustainable. It’s more about the brand and what they stand for than each and every collection. We are for example collaborating with Rodebjer, we like what they stand for. Their timeless style and their popularity on the second hand market. Even if they are not frontrunners on sustainability. Another important factor is of course quality! The products we sell must last over time. 

 What has been/and is the major challenges?

The difficulties are the big jungle of certifications, what they mean and which once are the best and so on. But also finding the right brands according to our style. We have tried a few brands that truly had a sustainable production but they didn’t sell. People were not interested in those clothes. That brand was a pioneer of organic cotton, it felt good but we were unsure when it came to the design and we were right. That’s why it’s so important with a good design that feels right in time. The clothing item that is the least sustainable one is the one never worn. Today it has become easier to find fashion that is sustainable. 

What has been/is the largest gains?

Something we are very proud over is the fact that we last year decided to not participate in Black Friday. It gave us a lot of strength. It felt like a good thing to take that decision and it was the right decision. It has been a clarification of what we believe in. Economically it has been tough during the pandemic but we also had good sales on Black Friday. Many customers chose us because we didn’t join Black Friday. It has given us a higher belief in ourselves. Our business is all about the long term perspective and we want everything we do to feel good. This is how far we have come with that same approach and we’re counting on doing it for another 17 years. We’re a good company and it feels right working in this way. We are stable. 

“If the brand tried to convince the consumer to consume more, it’s definitely greenwashing. People need to be informed of what it is. Consumption per see is not a sustainable practice”

What do you think needs to change now in the fashion industry to make it more sustainable? 

The problem is global and big. We are on a good path, there are more and more initiatives coming up from people who really cares. It’s about stopping the consuming the way we do. Stop consuming shit and start buying more things second hand. The amount of clothes already produced is more than enough for this and next generation to wear. There will still be an interest for people to express their style. We just need to find other ways than just consuming new clothes. The issues that needs to be changed are in many areas. For example, what role do influencers play? In what ways are they contributing to norms and how the fashion cycles look like? More fashion brands are now saying they will have fewer collections and the clothes are not created only for the season. We have to become aware of the value of an item of clothing. It needs to change. People need to shop less and better. There can be no such thing as top for 79 SEK: 

 What do you believe is “greenwashing” and what can producers and consumers do to avoid it?

There are many examples of greenwashing, one of them are the Zalando collaboration. They portrait the clothes to be more sustainable then they are. If the brand tried to convince the consumer to consume more, it’s definitely greenwashing. People need to be informed of what it is. Consumption per see is not a sustainable practice. It’s a question of education. I seriously get worried when I see how things are developing. It has been evident for 10 years, still influencers are marketing products people don’t need. Their job go hand in hand with fast fashion. 

What would you advice consumers to do who seeks to create a sustainable closet and lifestyle?

·       Find your style, be faithful to it, then you won’t need too many new clothes. Try to define who you are and what you like, stick to it. You can change the details and so on without consuming much. 

·       Mix the old and the new. Choose most of your products from second hand and add a few things new. Second hand is always available if you want something new.  

·     Choose quality products that will last over time. A pair of jeans can last for many years. And there are jeans which have been better produced than others.