What brand were Freddie Mercury's jeans at Live Aid?

BarcelonaWhat is urban fashion? Also known as street wear or street fashion? It is that aesthetic of clothing originating from the United States in the eighties, from the urban tribes of that time, from breakdance fashion. It consists of wearing jeans combined with a tracksuit jacket, a baseball cap, a sweatshirt with the logo of baseball or basketball teams, Puma sneakers, and clothing brands like Lois. Greatly influenced by cinema, by films like Porky's and Teen Wolf – the jacket worn by Michael J. Fox is pure street wear–, by Boy George, by George Michael. The Wrangler jeans that Freddy Mercury wore at Queen's legendary performance at the Live Aid concert in 1985 at Wembley Stadium. Or the yellow Champion t-shirt that he himself made very fashionable. Or when he wore Puma sneakers and Adidas signed him. Who wore Lois and made the brand famous? Well, Abba, Rod Stewart, John Lennon, and Johan Cruyff.

It is impressive to visit El Caiman Alegre, on Travessera de Gràcia in Barcelona, next to Torrent de l’Olla, and listen to the endless erudition of David Rodríguez, its founder, owner, and soul. He is a living encyclopedia of this very specific and seductive field of fashion, of the way of dressing, of living clothing as an extension of yourself, of your way of being and relating to your surroundings.

David was born in Switzerland, where his parents had emigrated. He lived there until he was 24 years old, became a football player, and learned music. A fundamental part of his training also involved noticing that there were specialized shops with this type of fashion. An interesting symbiosis between brands, sports clubs, and stores. An experience of fashion related to retro, to the personality of a garment, to the surprise of being able to combine jeans with a tracksuit jacket.

So, when he wanted to settle in Barcelona, he was clear that he wanted to try to establish a business similar to those that had so captivated him in Switzerland. First, in 1994, in a shop on Sant Pere Màrtir street. And what name did he give it? A friend designed him a drawing of a caiman with a graffiti aesthetic, with a baseball cap and sunglasses. El Caiman Alegre suited it perfectly, of course. Two years later, he moved to the shop on Travessera de Gràcia where today he remains an unyielding presence, a neighborhood icon, a tireless fighter for street pacification.

Fondly recalls some essential moments of his business. For example, the moment when a street wear brand like Puma agreed to have a very relevant presence at El Caiman. It was in crisis and it was a public appearance by Leonardo DiCaprio with a cap and t-shirt from the brand that suddenly made it float again. Incredible, right? He also remembers the boom of an iconic and remembered brand like Fruit of the Loom, also Lonsdale and Hanes, the American ones, sweatshirts and trousers so linked to Michael Jordan.

The concept of El Caiman Alegre is retro, but not vintage, as they do not sell second-hand clothes. Everything is new manufacturing with depth and classic reminiscence. By the way, David does not hesitate to give a warning: the vast majority of vintage clothing that circulates in the world is not authentic vintage, but modern reissues.

And what kind of clientele do they have? Well, all sorts. Especially clients who refuse to dress like everyone else. Who value the retro, who feel nostalgic, who have always dressed with the same brands and want to continue doing so. Young guys whose parents have instilled in them a love for a certain way of dressing. “I don’t have the brands that are in fashion, but those that allow people to dress as they please,” recounts David.

A neighborhood store

Many of its clients are from Gràcia, of course. “The shop fits perfectly with the DNA of the neighbourhood where it’s located,” he highlights. In El Born, for example, people dress quite differently, they prefer more current fashion. Gràcia is more like Camden in London, he adds, workers with a taste for street wear. Now there are also many foreigners who have a highly developed taste for retro fashion.

At El Caiman Alegre we find a good variety. Especially t-shirts and trousers. But also trainers, hoodies, jackets, caps, socks, belts and backpacks. Of this last item, the Dakine brand stands out, much more street wear than Eastpak, which so many people wear.

David is the president of the union of shopkeepers on Travessera de Gràcia. They have been fighting together for many years to pacify the street and, by extension, the neighbourhood. That fewer cars pass and it can be walked better. An important milestone was that on Saturdays, traffic is cut off on their street.