A quick scrolling of the hashtag #gorpcore on Instagram conjures up a multitude of ‘suitable photos’, mostly of men hiking, camping, and gazing at bleak mountain views for a long time. Fashionable boys have long dominated the outdoor style until now.
Gone are the days of soft jackets and hiking pants for men. The advent of checkered skirts, colorful sneakers and cropped puffer jackets from brands like The North Face, Patagonia and Arc’teryx (gorpcore’s crowning glory) means brands are paying attention. Notice the growing list of female customers.
Gorpcore’s reputation for solid aesthetics is flying away as women are claiming it as their own. It’s about time.
“As a trend or a changing perspective on the function of apparel in fashion, gorpcore can serve as an entry point to explore the wider world of outdoor recreation for those who have never been before. previous discovery opportunities,” Mariel Wiley, a photographer in Colorado told Who What Wear. With one foot in fashion and the other in extreme outdoor sports, Wiley says the biggest hurdle to overcome is getting “granolas” to let go of their distaste for fashion (although sometimes, when looking at fashion’s pollution problem, the sour taste in their mouths when they see people wearing hiking boots because ‘grams make sense.)
