gorpcore realness
diving into the tracksuit, hiking boots and sports jerseys in cinema and beyond
i was struck by the plainness and ease of michael fassbender’s character in the latest david fincher film ‘the killer.’ there’s something about the cleanliness and austerity of the khaki trousers, patagonia vests and bucket hats that hit me on the cusp of the new year. the choice of garments are really used to blend in with the killer’s surroundings, therefore the clothes go unnoticed. but not here at quotidian, where we’re always looking for the most everyday-looking outfits in cinema. and gorpcore is as everyday as it gets.
we love atheleisure and normcore, two microtrends that bleed into gorpcore. the trend consists of hiking and sportswear but also khaki trousers and plain jackets. but gorpcore, standing for “good ol raisins and peanuts” referring to trail mix, of course, is especially niche and interesting because it's quite ugly! and it's really not just a trend or a fancy new aesthetic, it's something that working and middle class people across the U.S. and the U.K. (where we'll be focusing) have been wearing since the 1980s and the inception of modern work out and hiking wear.
various sources credit the pandemic with gorpcore’s uptick in popularity, but the word was invented by ‘the cut’ writer jason chen in 2017 who said, ‘it’s live-good, do-good, feel-good fashion for the ones who care just a little too much.’ for those of us stuck at home during peak quarantine, pajamas and loungewear were about all we wanted to wear. and it makes sense that it would evolve into grabbing that patagonia pullover and north face puffer jacket that sat in the back of the closet. eventually things opened back up, including national and local parks and pandemic walks became pandemic hikes and the merrell and columbia hiking boots came out; maybe a trusty pair of blundstones.
and now it’s crossed over into high fashion with balenciaga, fenty x puma and vetements leading the way for quite some time now. over-exaggerated puffer coats, mesh sweatshirts, the iconic tracksuit. it’s all there, in some of the ugliest gorp-iest collections to date. but there’s a dissonance with the balenciaga and vetements collections. these items are worn by people all over the world (and have been for decades) and yet here they are suddenly popular and high fashion and expensive. it’s representative of the late stage capitalism we find ourselves in where what has typically been considered pedestrian is now luxurious and worth thousands of dollars. is this what the people want to see? our real lives reflected, or rather thrown back onto us from brands we can’t afford? i miss when times got tough, the fashion got FUN (see: john galliano for dior post-9/11 and throughout the recession.)
however, i found a lot of joy and inspiration in the late-90s brit-pop boys: damon albarn from blur and liam gallagher from oasis. despite their fame and fortune, they still managed to bring the working class leisure uniform to their days as rock stars with adidas tracksuits (never nike), bucket hats, hiking sneakers and football jerseys. it made them likable and cute as they carried on the baggy and oversized silhouettes into the noughties. i also found inspiration in the burgeoning hip-hop scene of the late-80s and throughout the 90s. specifically run-dmc wearing THE adidas track suit and a very young jay-z wearing a pair of timberlands
in film, though, i’m looking at sports jerseys worn in the street, letterman or teams jackets, puffers, fanny packs, running shoes, hiking shoes and anything and everything you’d wear to the gym or out on the trails except worn on the street, at work, at home or at university. the commonalities throughout these movies are the uniform: an outfit formula, if you will, and the social class placement of the characters wearing said hiking boots, track suits, etc. most are broke college students, council estate dwellers, folks fresh out of rehab and folks on their way to rehab. today gorpcore has the tendency to be worn by the elite as they cosplay being poor (remember those vetements/champion sweatshirts?) but in cinema, these are real clothes being worn by real characters.