Gorpcore and Avant Apocalypse are fashion trends (yes) and you’ll see them everywhere

The planet is dead, (above) the apocalyptic planet lives. Fashion seems to have been telling us this for some years, through a renewed attraction for survivalism. This lifestyle is about preparing for some form of apocalypse, like a natural disaster, economic crisis, health crisis… And so yes, we are in it.

Survivalism inspires the gorpcore fashion trend and pre-apocalyptic aesthetic

So when fashion comes into play with a sad heart, it no longer has anything to do with a stylistic fiction and looks a lot like a lucid, cynical and guilty speech on the role of this industry in the accelerated ecocide that we (sur)live.

This trend has several names: gorpcore for most of the fashion industry for a few years (contraction of gorp : the nickname given to the dried fruit paste eaten by mountain hikers e nucleus : the essence, the concentrate, therefore we could translate gorpcore from the essential to survive in the mountainsbut this is not to be taken literally), or even Before the Apocalypse for TikTok’s young fashionistas.

Where did the gorpcore fashion trend and TikTok Avant Apocalypse aesthetic come from?

In short, surivalism, which emerged at least from the 1960s, is increasingly irrigating today’s fashion. This, at least movement anti-fashion 90’snotably worn by Belgian deconstructivist designers such as Ann Demeulemeester and Japanese designers scarred by nuclear disasters such as Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo.

From then to today, it is above all the name and aesthetics of Rick Owens that impose themselves in the collective imagination to illustrate survivalist fashion, gorpcore or Before Apocalypse.

After an initial awakening of interest in 2015 (the year of the release of Mad Max: Fury Road which had a big impact on the runways), gorpcore has been back at the forefront of the fashion scene for a few seasons now.

Witness the luxury houses that are starting to offer bottle holders like Chanel, and young designers who are more explicitly inspired by the apocalypse like Marine Serre or the mountains like Jacquemus (and his now famous autumn-winter 2021-2022 collection).

Where to find cheap gorpcore or Avant Apocalypse clothing and accessories?

The advantage of this trend is that it is already everywhere at low prices on the side of brands well known to the general public: Decathlon, Patagonia or even GoSport.

Because Gorpcore or Avant Apocalypse fashion could be summed up in piling up layers of technical sportswear which allow you to feel comfortable in a maximum of different climatic and physical conditions. Hence the interest of go to the running, climbing and skiing sections of a sporting goods store near you if you are interested in this trend!

To avoid being mistaken for a climbing gym deserter who fell off the boulder, you can do this accessorize your appearance ccomposed of second skin tops in technical material, hoods, carabiners and ropes with overlapping, torn, holed or unstitched bases, chosen in neutral tones (black, white, beige and gray make up the bulk of the gorpcore or Avant Apocalypse palette).

To fuel your inspiration, you can especially turn to movies Dunes, Mad Max: Fury Roador even the hashtags #SubversiveBasics, #AvantApocalypse and #GorpCore on TikTok of course.

Apocalypse, but do it stylish.

A photo credit: TikTok screenshot; James.