Why Is Everyone Suddenly Dressing In Puffer Jackets?
‘Gorpcore,’ a term coined by the Cut- a style edit by New York Magazine- all the way back in 2017, referred to an outerwear-specific style that was an offshoot of the normcore trend of the 2010s. We have seen its rising importance in men’s fashion for the last couple of years, and in its initials days, Gorpcore was all about comfortable staples which were fashionable at the same time. Four years after its first emergence, the meaning has not changed much except this time around; the influence of this humble style has been sped up, thanks to the raging Covid-19 pandemic. The catchy term stands for good ol’ raisins and peanuts and takes its name from the popular hiker’s snack, trail mix.
This trend refers to a particular aesthetic consisting of bulky puffer jackets, technical wear, all things fleece, shoes, fabrics, and- you get the idea. With its primary focus on functionality, Gorpcore went on to take inspiration from utility wear and is almost wholly focused on outerwear. It was initially born with niche brands that made this imagery famous, like Columbia, The North Face, Patagonia but went on to the runways of high fashion and couture houses. These big names in fashion, specifically those that take inspiration from streetwear like Balenciaga, created revisited versions of the OG statement pieces and put them on their runways.
With the onset of Gorpcore, a certain coolness attached to hiking, climbing, and other such outdoor activities was rediscovered. These clothes’ comfort, functionality, and survivability have led to renewed interest in such activities to be experienced in mountains, snow, and places far off from the safety of well-lit and cozy cabins in the woods. Therefore, this trend is linked to this specific type of imagery through which it achieves its appeal. It also gives way to the obsession with utility clothing and technical wear, such as waterproof and stormproof hoods, frostbite preventing lining, and the likes of such that is essential for people involved in extreme activities like scaling mountains. This image is now finding favor with city folk as well. Before, we were obsessed with ‘how it looks,’ but we can slowly see ourselves moving to the question: ‘what can it do?’.
Some brands have profited from the popularity of this aesthetic and are selling items that are not entirely performance goods. By doing this, they have started to realize that they are losing their core customers by shifting away from what they used to offer to these customers. People have developed bitter and scornful derision to such brands that are putting the aesthetics before the functionality that ultimately contributes to global pollution. It goes against the very definition of hiking and the natural world.
High street retailers have started partnerships with traditional brands synonyms with outerwear. Comme des Garçons and Boris Bidjan Saberi partnered up with Salomon, Gucci with The North Face, and of course, the iconic skiwear brand Moncler and its complete Genius collective that offered limited-edition collections in the form of monthly ‘drops’ with contemporary designers like Richard Quinn, JW Anderson and 1017 Alyx 9SM and as a result, have made outerwear chic. With this, it’s clear that high fashion’s perfect marriage with this aesthetic shows zero signs of slowing down.
The fact that Frank Ocean looked like the very definition of Gorpcore during the fashion week wearing an Arc’teryx cap in Mammut clothing and not any other established retailer says a lot. He proves that this style isn’t just performance boots that would not live up to its name on the actual trail, but instead, it’s about a genuine and deep appreciation of all-weather brands. More and more people want to wake up, show up at work, and take a short hike later, all in the exact ‘fit without having to go back home to change. Gorp fans are increasingly appreciating practicality and high design that brands use on their outerwear gear like Patagonia’s clothing which can never be mistaken for a chic Parisian label. Still, its vintage style has definitely added to the value of its products.
Recently increased restrictions due to the pandemic had resulted in many venturing outdoors much more than ever before, which gave way to skyrocketing sales of puffer jackets, trainers, and techy clothing. The North Face has worked its way up into the hearts of hardcore gorp heads, and their collections with Supreme have only added to it. According to ASOS, there was a 30% increase in search of The North Face on their website. And according to Outdoor Industry Association, outdoor recreation accounts for 2.2% of the GDP. It is growing faster than the economy as a whole, with the fastest-growing demographic within that market being, surprisingly, women. They make up for 46% of all outdoor participants. Still, we have always seen outerwear and performance brands showing no innovation for garments- in terms of colors and design- made specifically for women. Brands started bringing in women for their top executive positions to close this gap. Patagonia, for example, brought in Rose Marcario as their CFO (who later became their CEO), and they saw that their sales tripled. It became increasingly evident that women working in leadership positions help the brands make products that are more suited to the needs of women.
Though we might think people are into Gorpcore to communicate that they’re outdoorsy and fun, that might not be the case. They’re communicating that they’re fashion-forward and that they’re ‘in’ with the trend. The best part is that it’s so accessible, and you’re going to see more and more people wearing it. This trend is also feeding right into our strong desire not to change our clothes for every activity we do throughout the day. Now, we want to wear the same comfortable and functional outfit for work, meeting up with friends, taking a walk, or even running errands, and we get to do precisely that through Gorpcore.
I think that, like all luxury fashion trends, Gorpcore will reach a peak, but I don’t think it’s going to completely pass from view, especially if we are still in the pandemic. For what it’s worth, I hope that Gorpcore is about something more profound, maybe a yearning to reconnect with nature.
