What is ‘Gorpcore’ and how Vancouver did it first
What is ‘gorpcore’?
Coined in 2017 by The Cut’s Jason Chen, gorpcore is a style aesthetic derived from trail mix and normal clothes. Literally.
If you Google search “gorp” the resulting definition reads “a mixture of dried fruit and nuts eaten as a snack food by hikers and campers; trail mix.” The latter ingredient to the style is normcore- simple, unremarkable and unpretentious fashion. Essentially, what someone who wears clothes to simply clothe themselves would wear, but with an unintentionally stylish twist.
Normcore occurs when comfort meets attractiveness meets the majority’s definition of ordinary. Add in a hiker’s wardrobe and you have yourself gorpcore.
“It’s not a hyper-elevated, high-fashion take on hiking clothes,” writes Chen in his article introducing gorpcore to the world.
“Much of it is rather defiantly ugly, like something you’d buy (or exactly what you’d buy) at REI before a weekend in Phoenicia — practical, element-braving fleeces, ponchos, parkas, and windbreakers from no-nonsense brands like Patagonia, the North Face, Teva, Columbia, and Birkenstock.”
Does that style sound familiar?
Vancouver did gorpcore first
Could it be argued that the city wedged between mountains and the birthplace of both Arc’teryx and Lululemon did gorpcore first? I’d argue yes.
Vancouver isn’t regarded as a stylish city. Heck, it was named the third most unfashionable city in the world (but that was a decade ago). Though yoga pants were to blame, perhaps it’s all just a misunderstanding.
Yes, Vancouverites love their yoga pants. But we also love our Arcteryx, North Face, Patagonia, every variety of gore-tex and fleece jackets, MEC outfits, Vessi runners, and Blundstones, to name a few.
People dress for the weather and for comfort here.
I’m never surprised when I pass by an unpleasant combination of cuffed jeans or pants, Blundstones or Converse shoes, and a gore-tex jacket with a coordinating backpack only suitable for hiking.
Even in the office, hints of gorpcore manage to sneak in. Some colleagues look like they have a meeting at 5 p.m. and a hike at 6 p.m.
The fashion aesthetic has picked up again in 2022 with the help of TikTok but I think gorpcore’s return to mainstream fashion will only strengthen Vancouver’s natural style sense.
Talya I’m borrowing ur black arc
Originally published at https://headtoheels.ca on October 12, 2022.
