Meet “gorpcore,” the fashion world’s way of looking like you go outdoors

Several years ago, New York Magazine spotlighted the term “normcore” into the fashion world. The phrase then creeped into every aspect of daily life, even home decorating. But ultimately, all “normcore” did was name something that was just regular life for most people. The same goes with New York Magazine‘s latest trendy fashion term: “gorpcore.”

Getting its name from “gorp”/trail mix, gorpcore is all about dressing like you’re a regular outdoorswoman.

You likely know or are one of those kinds of people anyway. Like, how many of us go to REI and use their jackets to actually scale mountains? Or, when was the last time you went on a polar expedition wearing some sweet North Face fleeces? What gorpcore does is give a weird fashion world name to some people’s real lives. (To say nothing of folks who wear this gear because they actually do spend a lot of time in the great outdoors.)

We aren’t of the mind that you can only wear outdoor clothes if you are basically a park ranger in training. And, the quotes in this gorpcore exploration piece don’t really make it sound serious:

“Listen, if you dropped me somewhere upstate, I’d cry, but I love clothes that can transport me. That’s what these clothes let me do — if they can withstand the actual outdoors, then I can wear them to go outside in Greenpoint.”

So go forth and flourish in your sweet all-weather gear, even if you’re just out to get groceries. And if anyone questions you, just let them know you’re following the trends.