Gramicci Shorts

Gramicci shorts came before the trousers. Mike Graham cut the first pair in 1982 because nothing he could buy let him get a foot above his waist on rock, and the two fixes — a

Read More

8 products

Where Gramicci shorts came from

In 1982 Mike Graham was climbing in army surplus and painter's trousers, which did the job until a move needed a leg above waist height and the crotch seam refused. His answer was a diamond-shaped gusset borrowed from martial arts trousers, which lets the leg travel through a full range without the fabric fighting it, and a nylon webbing belt taken from backpack strap hardware that can be pulled tight with one hand while the other stays on the rock. Shorts were the first thing he made. The trousers followed, and the whole brand grew out of that one pair.

Choosing between the Gramicci short cuts

The G-Short is the original and the one to start with: cotton twill, a regular fit through the thigh, and the belt built in. The cargo shorts are the heavier option, in a stiffer cotton with the extra pockets to match, and they take longer to break in but hold their shape better once they have. The Gadget Short in chino carries the pocket arrangement Gramicci first worked out on its Gadget trousers in the early nineties. The Japanese chambray short and the pigment-dyed G-Short are the two that change most with wear — pigment dye fades unevenly at the seams and pockets, which is the point of it, and chambray softens in the same way lightweight denim does.

Living with the built-in belt

It is the detail people either love or take a week to get used to. There is no buckle to speak of, so nothing digs in when you sit down or when a rucksack hip belt sits over the top, and the shorts pack flat. It also absorbs the half-size problem: the waist is elasticated as well as belted on most cuts, so if you fall between sizes the webbing takes up the slack rather than leaving you to choose between loose and tight. The trade-off is that it is a built-in belt rather than a conventional one, so it will not take a buckle you already own, and the excess webbing needs tucking if you want a clean line under a shirt.

See the rest of the Gramicci pants and trousers, check reduced Gramicci for last season's shorts, or look at the And Wander collaboration.

Gramicci Shorts FAQs

The G-Short is a regular fit through the thigh with a straight leg, and sits at the natural waist. Sizes run in the usual S to XL, and the built-in webbing belt gives useful adjustment either side of your normal waist measurement, so falling between two sizes matters less here than with a conventional waistband.

It came from climbing, where a metal buckle sits under a harness and presses in. The nylon webbing runs through the waistband and cinches with one hand, so there is no separate belt to pack and nothing rigid under a rucksack hip belt. It is stitched in rather than removable.

A diamond-shaped panel set into the crotch instead of a single crossing seam. It was the first thing Mike Graham changed in 1982, and it means the fabric does not pull tight when you lift a leg high — climbing, cycling, or getting over a stile. Every pair in this collection has one.

Cool machine wash and dry naturally rather than in a tumble dryer, which keeps the cotton from shrinking and the webbing belt from stiffening. Pigment-dyed pairs will lighten over the first few washes, most visibly at the seams and pocket edges — that fade is intended and does not indicate a fault.

Both Yards Store shops stock the brand: 13 Old Bank Street in Manchester and 86 Pinstone Street in Sheffield. Shorts stock is seasonal and differs between the two, so ring ahead if you want a specific cut or size.