Since 1982 Gramicci has been making functional clothing for life in the great outdoors, built for movement and loved by countless cultural movements. But what’s the story behind an American brand, now based in Japan, with an Italian name? It all started in California in the early 1970s. A new generation of free-spirited dirt-bag rock-climbers known as the Stonemasters had taken residency at Yosemite National Park, pioneering a new way of climbing—with a strong focus on speed, style and smoother movements to create “free climbing”. These new methods required a new uniform, and but as the climbs got harder, something specific was needed. This emphasis on style extended beyond just the way the Stonemasters approached their routes, but also the way they dressed and the way they lived.
Mike Graham, a Stonemaster with a keen eye for design, was the ideal candidate to find the solution. In his small garage in Oxnard, Ventura, he set about creating the first true climbing shorts. Just as the Stonemasters looked beyond climbing to create something new, so too did Mike when creating his shorts—taking details from a wide range of designs to create something wholly original.Made of rugged canvas—inspired by the work-wear world—with a nylon webbing belt integrated into the waist that allowed the shorts to be adjusted with one hand. In 1982, after a few years of selling his hand-made wares to his friends, Gramicci was born. Why Gramicci? Well, a few years before a few of the Stonemasters had attempted the first all-Italian ascent of Yosemite’s notorious Half-Dome—even though none of them were actually Italian. Nicknames were soon devised, and Graham became Gramicci.
The Gramicci shorts’ design stretched easily beyond the climbing world and by the mid-80s a small contingent of surfers and skaters were seeking out these hard-wearing climbing pants with the little hand-drawn ‘running man’ logo. And it was only the beginning. The trousers also found favour in Japan, and by the early 90s spotting a pair of Gramiccis on the streets of Shinjuku wasn’t unheard of. It wasn’t long before it became a regular feature on the rails of forward-thinking stores like Beams—and when time came for Gramicci to find a new home—Japan was the perfect place. Since then, Gramicci has continued to innovate and push new ideas, all the while retaining its original ethos. 40 years since the first pair of Gramicci shorts were stitched together in Mike Graham’s garage, the song remains the same—it’s original, functional clothing, designed with movement firmly in mind—wherever you’re going, and whatever you’re doing.
