Grandpa, you're so hip

Grandpa, you're so hip

SINGAPORE - Have grandparents ever looked so fashionable?

A photo series by a local photographer has put paid to the old adage "Clothes maketh the man."

The man behind the series - who wants to be known only as Qozop - has created a collection of images where young Singaporeans pose next to their parents or grandparents, before recreating the pose wearing each others' clothes.

Qozop launched the quirky series - titled Spring-Autumn - on his website in December last year.

Initially, it received only a few likes and shares, but last month, it soared in popularity when it was featured on Huffington Post.

The series went viral, appearing on social media feeds around the world as it was picked up by online media outlets such as the UK's Mail Online.

"The response has been unexpectedly wonderful and encouraging," says Qozop.

So encouraging that he has plans to take the project out of Singapore - and even beyond Asia - once he has more funds.

Qozop, a professional photographer since 2012, tells The New Paper on Sunday that the idea came about two years ago.

He says: "I came to a realisation that though Singapore has become Westernised to a large degree, it is still possible to witness its generational and cultural divides through the clothes that we wear.

"I wanted to flip the idea of what style and identity means on its head by making the participants swop clothes..."

Approaching the different pairs to take part in this project was not as straightforward a task as it may seem.

Says Qozop: "While it was a simple task to get the kids to agree to be photographed, it was the older folk that required a little coaxing.

"I would tell them that it's very likely that up until that moment, they had never been in clothes other than their own, so it would be a good chance to break away from the "comfort bubble" of who they are.

djenn@sph.com.sg


Get The New Paper for more stories.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.