[Fashion Tips] How to Wear the Trending 'Gopcore Look' These Days

Colorful Hiking Wear with 'Gopcore Look'
Minimal Design Popular for Activity and Functionality
Neutral Colors and Mix-Match as Styling Points

Outdoor looks, once synonymous with the so-called 'Ajae Look,' are making a comeback under the name 'Gorpcore Look.'

Gorpcore is a portmanteau of 'GORP,' an acronym for the nuts and dried fruits carried for energy during outdoor activities, and 'normcore,' which signifies ordinariness. It refers to a style that can be worn not only for outdoor activities but also in everyday life. In Korea, the trend began gaining momentum several years ago as hip-hop musicians started favoring this style. The popularity continues mainly around premium international outdoor brands such as The North Face, Arc'teryx, And Wander, and Salomon.

There was a time in the late 2000s when the outdoor craze swept across all age groups, but the current Gorpcore look craze is quite different. Back then, it was trendy to wear the 'original' hiking gear focused on functionality, whereas now, the emphasis is on styles that combine functionality with fashionable looks suitable for everyday wear.

Junji 23SS Utility Shell Parka. [Photo by Samsung C&T Fashion Division]

This trend has intensified through the COVID-19 pandemic. Comfort has become a key keyword in the fashion industry, blurring the lines between everyday wear and outdoor clothing. The key to styling the Gorpcore look is the so-called 'Kkuankku' (looking styled but effortlessly casual). While past outdoor looks focused on bold color contrasts and functionality, the current trend favors calm colors and minimal designs. Choosing neutral, sophisticated colors like charcoal gray, khaki, and dark navy, and matching tones in a tone-on-tone manner suits a natural styling approach.

When selecting tops such as anoraks or windbreakers, mixing and matching with elegant or refined midi skirts for bottoms is a styling point. When styling both top and bottom in the Gorpcore look, layering vintage crochet (knit style made with yarn) items or using them as accessory accents is also recommended.

Lim Ji-yeon, director at Samsung Fashion Research Institute, said, "This year, calm colors, multi-pockets for increased storage, adjustable details emphasizing activity and functionality are expected to be highlighted. Additionally, utility parkas, anoraks, and windbreakers made with functional and mesh materials that provide comfortable wear are anticipated to remain popular, and wide-fit cargo pants or cargo mini skirts are also showing signs of becoming trendy."