Built for Mountains, Bought for Main Street: The Rise of “Gorpcore” Technical Fashion
By Kate Allhusen, Marine Biology ‘26
From high alpine ascents to your daily overpriced coffee run, certain brands seem to be seen doing it all. Take a look outside on a winter day in the city and you are guaranteed to spot someone in The Northface 1996 Retro Nuptse puffer, an Arc’teryx Bird Toque, or a Patagonia Torrentshell rain jacket. This merge of outdoor technical gear into streetwear is known as “Gorpcore”––and it’s a trend that appears to be here to stay.
Derived from "Good Ol’ Raisins and Peanuts” (trail mix), and first coined in 2017 by Jason Chen, Gorpcore blends function with fashion, bringing the oversized, boxy silhouettes, earthy tones, and premium materials of technical attire to the street. However, style comes at a cost. Google searches regarding the trend peaked in 2022, but interest has tapered off since. Keeping up with trends often requires companies to take shortcuts in their manufacturing, leading to garments of worse quality.
A model shows off elements of Gorpcore. Photo by Praise Judah (@pjayth3kreator).
The benefit of shopping with Gorpcore in mind is that these brands are rigorously tested in the field for functionality and longevity. Arc’teryx claims to manufacture some of the world’s best outerwear due to their longstanding relationship with W.L. Gore, a global materials science company with environmental testing chambers that can simulate the most extreme weather and climate conditions.
Because of their earth-conscious clientele, a majority of these brands place a greater emphasis on ethical production practices and reduced environmental impacts from their products. One of the largest organizations upholding these principles is bluesign, an international standard with nearly 700 partners worldwide, including Arc’teryx, Edelrid, Mammut, Mountain Hardwear, Osprey, and The North Face.
Not all brands are willing to be seen as streetwear, however. Mammut, a Swiss company known for their alpine gear, came under fire for their newest social media marketing campaign, coined “Mammut Mountainwear Rescue Squad”. The ad poked fun at the technical wear fad, captioning an instagram post “[our product] was built to experience adventure, not gossip over gluten-free banana bread. Every time mountainwear ends up in a coffee shop instead of on a cliff, we shed a tear *broken heart emoji*.” The company got slammed on social media for being openly elitist, but Mammut CMO Nic Brandenberger explained that the goal is to reinforce the brand’s core values as a 162 year old mountaineering company.
On the flip side, some brands are shifting their target market toward these fashion-forward city-goers, such as the Sportstyle division by Salomon. Despite the environmental regulations many of these brands sign on to, trend based marketing in the fashion industry still funnels into unsustainable consumerism and production practices Globally, the fashion industry accounts for 10% of carbon emissions, and almost 20% of wastewater. Even if consumers bought only what they needed, waterproof garments, gear, and footwear contain and leach harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into the environment.
Google search interest for “Gorpcore” since 2017. Photo from Google.
Gorpcore’s influence shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, but it raises questions about our role in consumption as buyers, and the responsibility brands have to uphold ethical values and sustainable production. As technical outerwear continues to migrate from mountain summits to city sidewalks, the tension between practical usage and trend-chasing becomes harder to ignore. The rise of this trend reflects a broader cultural shift, where consumers must decide if their love of rugged aesthetics aligns with the sustainable values these companies promote. Gorpcore reminds us that even the most functional clothing carries a footprint, and style alone cannot outrun the industry’s environmental costs.