GM all. I am in full Grinch mode currently. Everyone else seems to be winding down, pushing things off till ‘24, I am somehow busier than ever. As someone who values consistency, holidays truly are the bane of my existence. Like putting up decorations is TWISSTEDDDDDD.
Anyway, today I want to explore a recent Business of Fashion article discussing the evolution of gorpcore, and how we will see this trend collide with 2023s biggest trend, ‘quiet luxury’ to form a 2024 hybrid.
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First some headlines—
Corporate layoffs just won’t stop, and Walgreens CMO is departing the company. This year we have seen many CMOs depart, and companies restructure the eliminate the role entirely. This could have profound impacts on how marketing and creative agencies interface with big brands. Curious to see how this plays out.
If Fall 2023 was marked by one characteristic fashion trend, it was the pop of red. Both Vogue and SSENSE have explored this. Personally, I hate red on me.
Farfetch just sold for $500M, down from its peak public valuation, $23B in 2021. Yikes.
A Look Back on Gorpcore
Gorpcore (stands for Good Ol’ Raisins and Peanuts. Ew.) has been HOT for a minute now. Brands like Salomon, Arc’teryx, and the North Face have witnessed skyrocketing sales as consumers adopted rainproof jackets and hiking shoes as hot commodity, fashionable items. We owe a lot to Frank Ocean and other celebs for this. Combined with 2022’s Arc’teryx shell in the shower trend, Gorpcore seemingly reached its peak last year.
Quiet Luxury
Consumer spending shifted this year, as the ‘quiet luxury’ aesthetic began to dominate the feed. Brands such as The Row, Khaite, and Bottega Veneta began to see a major resurgence as consumers ditched flashy, overstated logos and bold colors in favor of minimal, well-made garments.
Quiet Outdoors: A New Evolution
Notice the flats, trousers, blazer, paired with the performance coat
Business of Fashion predicts these two seemingly conflicting trends will morph into one, giving birth to 2024’s hottest category: Quiet Outdoors.
BOF describes this trend as:
A fashion-forward take on “gorpcore” clothing originally designed for outdoor sports, which incorporates soft tailoring and minimalist logos-free silhouettes to elevate pieces like shell jackets and technical trousers.
Combining the utility and functionality of outdoor wear, with the muted aesthetic of quiet luxury, Quiet Outdoors promises to bring an elevated, tasteful approach to surviving the outdoors but staying chic.
We are seeing investment into this category on both ends of the spectrum. Outdoor brands are hiring fashion designers to make more lifestyle focused apparel, and designer brands are making one-off outdoor lines into permanent mainstays.
This evolution of gorpcore will forgo the flashy logos, heavily technical aesthetic, and loud colors in favor of an elevated, minimal look that can be paired with higher end garments and fit into rotation.
Let’s look at some brands making big moves to fuel Quiet Outdoors—
Arc’teryx’s CEO said the brand would be investing heavily into their diffusion line, Veilance, which has been producing functional, stylish garments for years.
Prada’s Linea Rossa collection has been made permanent again.
On Running and Loewe’s collaboration footwear is seeing big success (despite being horrible)
Norse Projects waterproof footwear seems to be having a moment rn.
I was shocked to see this graph, but StockX report’s brands such as On Running, Asics, and Salomon were among the top footwear brands sold on the platform this year. The consumer demand for functional gear is at an all time high.
Thoughts
I personally love Quiet Outdoors and feel like I’ve been dressing this way for awhile. Just as we mix high and low, mixing performance gear with an elevated aesthetic feels right for 2024. Over the weekend, I tried on some jackets from Veilance and this great Jil Sander coat that was functional yet very elevated. Living here in NYC, rain is the worst thing in the world and I hate being wet, but feel a little odd wearing a full gorp fit that screams REI, so if brands produce more minimal, tasteful garments I am very aligned.
Okay Byeeeeeeeeeee. See you tomorrow.
About Jake
Jake Bell is a content marketing strategist based in NYC. He specializes in branding, art direction, creative strategy, content creation, and making things cool.
