The Evolution of Gorpcore
Whereas the roots of Gorpcore consisted of straight-off-the-trail pieces, we’re seeing contemporary staple brands (from our essential list below) take some risks that acknowledge an increased awareness of the end user’s desire for more lifestyle use in addition to more sustainable material choices replacing soon-to-be-outlawed PFAS materials.
Take for instance a Patagonia down jacket that replaces de rigueur nylon face fabric with 100% cotton to both dial down the technical aesthetic and skip the need for using recycled nylon. Still, the need for synthetics remains at the core of Gore-Tex-driven realm of waterproof outerwear. In early 2024, we’ve been introduced to sustainable improvements through rolling updates to Arc’teryx’s flagship Alpha SV and Beta LT shells that update necessary synthetics with 100% recycled and bio-based components, respectively.
While we still see that brands with activity-based innovation in their native backgrounds of rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, fly fishing and beyond lead the charge, it’s been hard to ignore the influence of smaller scale operations: indie startups lines like Hikerkind, acutely tuned-in vintage dealers like Vintage Sponsor, and an near-endless list of obsessive Instagram archivists and mood boards that fill out feeds with everything from 90’s catalog scans to photos of uniquely shaped trees in exotic locales.
8 Essential Gorpcore Brands to Know
To help navigate the sea of Gorpcore, we’ve compiled a list of the essential outdoor brands key to the gorpcore aesthetic. Though many high fashion names have latched onto aspects of the trend, working in zip-off cargo pants and notes of hiking gear influence into their lines, we’ll do our best to steer you away from the gorpcore fashion week runway. We'll also forgo some (but not all) of the obvious staples like The North Face Nupste puffer jackets, deep-pile Mountain Hardwear fleeces, and the blacked out Hoka Bondi in favor of a selection of brands that more evenly define the trend.