That hair! That cardie! Why Daniel Craig’s edgy grandpa look makes total sense

A high-fashion campaign that has the Bond star looking like ‘someone’s German pen-pal who never stopped writing’ has gone viral – but fashion forecaster Jane Kellock explains why it is bang on trend

‘Edgy grandpa core’ or ‘eclectic gramps’ is a look Generation Z can’t get enough of (David Sims/Loewe)

Just who Loewe is trying to appeal to with the Daniel Craig campaign is not totally obvious. Richard Madeley hair, Bono yellow glasses, middle-aged dad mid-life crisis leather jacket and knitwear that wouldn’t look out of place in a 1980s Freemans catalogue is surely only going to work for fashion victims with bankers’ salaries.

But maybe it makes more sense when you know that edgy grandpa core or eclectic gramps is a look Generation Z can’t get enough of. Oversize blazers, brightly patterned tank tops, traditional tweed, pinstripes and retro prints are worn with loafers or sensible sneakers, baseball caps and wristwatches.

While some have suggested the campaign is the ultimate humble brag from 56-year-old Craig to show he’s still “got it” (hair that is), the keywords here are retro, custom and vintage and it’s not just a look for the men, the women are getting involved too.

Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Emma Chamberlain have been spotted in borrowed-from-your-grandad vibes, while Tyler, the Creator, Harry Styles and now Craig in the Loewe campaign are the poster boys for older men as style icons.

Still got it: the keywords here are retro, custom and vintage (David Sims/Loewe)

Designer Jonathan Anderson has taken Loewe from a relatively low-key Spanish leather goods brand to an ultra-cool, high-fashion label. But it’s not just the must-have clothing that makes Loewe the fashion lover’s brand of choice, their advertising campaigns have tapped into the ageing icon zeitgeist with 89-year-old Maggie Smith appearing in a huge fur coat and 68-year-old Lesley Manville in giant red sunglasses.

It’s a step on from the coastal grandmother trend that continues to provide endless inspiration for living your best life, wearing floaty linen layers and serving up complicated salads in huge wooden bowls from your beautiful house in the Hamptons – or more realistically Norfolk or Cornwall; social media has declared that we are not done with fabulous older men and women offering us style inspiration.

Sag Harbor aunt (Smith) and Sag Harbour aunt’s gay best friend, or slightly camp husband (Craig) is its next iteration. An eclectic, maximalist look, blending multiple bright colours and slightly bonkers clashing prints and patterns – think Iris Apfel meets Grayson Perry in a La DoubleJ boutique in the Upper West Side.

Loewe tapped into the ageing icon zeitgeist with 89-year-old Maggie Smith (Juergen Teller/Loewe)

The Sag Harbor aunt aesthetic went viral when TikTok creator @luvblueberrychampagne showed a video featuring OTT accessories, battered Birkins, clashing prints and a more-is-more approach to dressing and decorating. The home of designer @lukeedwardhall, the Instagram account of @lorihirshleifer and the Sag Harbor concept store Matriark also offer up eclectic aunt-and-uncle inspiration.

Gen Z are creating new trends on social media using items they find in their actual nan and grandad’s wardrobes or charity shops. These looks are about individual style and creating something unique.

However, high-fashion labels offering a luxury version of something that’s created with humour, irony and not very much money, feel out of touch with the contemporary landscape. With Loewe leather jackets ranging from £3,000 to £4,000 and plain tank tops starting at around £500, acquiring the autumn/winter version of the “James Bond wears the ugly jumper” trend will require more than a visit to Oxfam.

The great thing about getting older is caring less about fashion and more about style and maybe that’s why Gen Z are inspired by boomers and Gen X who have grown up with punk and Britpop and are not up for being told what to do.

With Loewe leather jackets ranging from £3,000 to £4,000 it’ll take more than just a trip to the charity shop to get the look (David Sims/Loewe)

Older icons in the media such as Grace and Frankie, The Golden Girls, Doris from Gavin & Stacey and the women in And Just Like That..., live their best lives on their own terms and offer inspiration for a new generation of creators borrowing from the past to create their own individual future.

Loewe’s followers are having a field day with Craig’s look “Robin Williams in one hour photo meets Iggy Pop” or “the German pen pal who never stopped writing”. And, for once, it feels like Gen Z and older generations can finally agree on something. Not caring what others think about your look is just great. As is having a full head of hair.

Jane Kellock is the founder of trend forecasting agency USP