Günther Krabbenhöft and Britt Kanja are a Berlin couple known for coordinated, carefully tailored outfits that they wear in everyday life, not just for photo shoots. He first became famous online in 2015 as the bowler-hatted pensioner who went dancing in Berlin’s techno clubs; together they later built a large following on Instagram, where their matching looks are shared by fashion fans around the world. If you are looking for who they are and what makes their style work, this is the short guide.
Who are Günther Krabbenhöft and Britt Kanja?
Krabbenhöft was born in 1945 near Hanover, in Lower Saxony. He trained as a cook and spent around five decades working in kitchens. He moved to West Berlin in 1968 and has lived in Moabit and later Kreuzberg, two districts with very different reputations that both say something about his taste for mixing old and new.
Britt Kanja is his partner and the other half of the double act. She is a style figure in her own right, known for statement accessories and elegant dresses, and many of the most widely shared images show the two of them dressed in deliberately matching colours or patterns. Little else about her private life is public, and the couple mostly let their clothes speak.
Krabbenhöft now works as a model and has appeared in fashion shoots and campaigns. When My Modern Met featured the couple in September 2020, it reported that he was managed by the Berlin agency MARTA PR; the specifics of any contracts were not published.
(The Instagram post originally embedded here is no longer available.)
A post shared by Britt Kanja (official) (@britt.kanja)
A post from Britt Kanja’s Instagram account, which often shows the couple side by side in coordinated outfits.
How the “Hipster Grandpa” went viral in 2015
Krabbenhöft’s first wave of fame came in February 2015, when photos of him on the Berlin club scene spread online. He was a regular at the city’s techno nights, dressed in a bow tie, waistcoat, rolled or tapered trousers and his trademark bowler hat, which earned him the nickname “Hipster Grandpa” in international media. The same year, the VDMD, a network of German fashion designers, gave him its Street Fashion Pluck award.
Dancing remains part of the image: the Berliner Zeitung noted that a video of him dancing with Britt Kanja at a private party had also gone viral. That attitude, rather than any single outfit, is a big part of his appeal: he looks like someone enjoying himself.
A post shared by Günther Krabbenhöft (@g.krabbenhoft)
A post from Günther Krabbenhöft’s own account, where the bowler hat and waistcoat appear again and again.
What makes their style work
Look through their photos and a clear system appears. It is not about expensive labels; it is about a few rules applied consistently.
A signature piece
For Krabbenhöft, it is the bowler hat. A recurring item makes every outfit instantly recognisable and gives the rest of the look a starting point.
Coordinated colour
The couple often pick one colour or pattern and echo it between them: a scarf that matches a tie, a coat that answers a hat. The effect is playful without being costume-like.
Fit and tailoring
Trousers end at the right length, jackets sit on the shoulders, waistcoats are buttoned. Good fit is what separates a classic look from one that simply seems old-fashioned.
Old and new together
Classic tailoring sits next to sneakers, tapered jeans or modern sunglasses. That mix keeps the look current and fits the Berlin setting in which most of the photos are taken.
A post shared by Britt Kanja (official) (@britt.kanja)
Another shared look from Britt Kanja’s account, showing how a single accent colour can tie two outfits together.
A post shared by Britt Kanja (official) (@britt.kanja)
A Britt Kanja post from 2020, when the couple’s images were circulating widely on fashion pages.
His book and his outlook on ageing
Krabbenhöft has also written a book of personal reflections, Sei einfach du! – Zum Jungsein bist du nie zu alt, published by HarperCollins; English-language coverage gave its message as “just be yourself” and “you’re never too old to be young”. The Berliner Zeitung, in an English-language piece, described it as Berlin’s oldest hipster explaining how to become Berlin’s oldest hipster.
One line from that interview sums up his outlook: in his words, “the day will come when you see weakness as strength.” It is a reminder that a striking image online often has an ordinary, sometimes hard, life behind it.
A post shared by Günther Krabbenhöft (@g.krabbenhoft)
A Günther Krabbenhöft post from his own account.
Older people in fashion: a wider movement
The couple belong to a broader shift in how fashion and media see older adults. Ari Seth Cohen’s project Advanced Style, which began as a street-style blog in New York in 2008 and later became a book and a documentary, put stylish people in their 60s, 70s and beyond in front of a large audience. The American designer and collector Iris Apfel, who died in 2024 at the age of 102, became a fashion icon in her 90s. Brands have since used older models more often in campaigns, though they remain a small minority.
A common myth is that personal style is something people lose interest in as they age. Couples like Krabbenhöft and Kanja suggest the opposite: with time, people often know exactly what suits them and care less about trends.
(The Instagram post originally embedded here is no longer available.)
A post shared by Britt Kanja (official) (@britt.kanja)
A 2019 post from Britt Kanja’s account, from before the couple’s second wave of online attention.
A post shared by Britt Kanja (official) (@britt.kanja)
Another earlier post from Britt Kanja’s account, showing how long the coordinated look has been part of their style.
Practical takeaways if you like their look
- Choose one trademark. A hat, a type of scarf or a favourite colour gives your wardrobe a thread.
- Invest in alterations. A tailor can make second-hand or inexpensive pieces look made for you.
- Coordinate, do not copy. If you dress with a partner, echo a colour or texture rather than wearing identical clothes.
- Wear it every day. Their style looks natural because it is their daily wardrobe, not a special-occasion costume.
- Keep moving. Krabbenhöft’s confidence comes partly from dancing. Feeling good in your body shows in how clothes sit.
The appeal of these two is not that they look young. It is that they look entirely like themselves, and seem to be having a lot of fun doing it.
Sources: Wikipedia: Günther Krabbenhöft; Berliner Zeitung: Berlin’s oldest hipster wrote a book about how to become Berlin’s oldest hipster; Design You Trust, September 2020: This elderly German couple steals the show every time they go out; My Modern Met: Günther Krabbenhöft and Britt Kanja; Wikipedia: Iris Apfel; Instagram: @g.krabbenhoft and @britt.kanja.
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