Nowadays, trends spread fast. In the case of gorpcore — which derives from GORP, an acronym that means "good ol' raisins and peanuts" and refers to the sort of apparel one might wear on a hike where trail mix would be required — the buildup might've been slower, but it eventually went global: there's that famous photo of Frank Ocean, an entire Drake music video dedicated to it, and lots and lots of TikToks featuring new Arc'teryx owners testing the jackets' waterproof shells in the shower. Needless to say, GORP is no longer exclusive to the Pacific Northwest or the outdoor community.
Portland-born musician Aminé says he knew this would happen, but he's okay with it. "The whole GORP trend is pretty cool, and pretty funny, too," he tells Gear Patrol. "We kind of saw it coming when we did the 'Shimmy' video." In the video for "Shimmy," a track off his 2020 album Limbo, Aminé wears a neon green Arc'teryx jacket, the Cerium LT in a color called Utopia.
"The Arc jacket was just kind of natural because we were in Portland and I was cold," he laughs. Plenty point to that video as the turning point, when interest started peaking. "We didn't really think of it as some major style thing. We were just like, 'Hey, this is what feels natural, what I liked.' I grew up seeing GORP where I'm from. Half of the clothes that kids are buying these days is what grandmothers and uncles were wearing in Portland, years ago."
There, it's just commonplace, and it's a part of where he's from that he's brought to the national stage. Nowadays, people know him for his eye-popping outfits, which often comprise wide-leg pants, Arc'teryx jackets (often in custom colorways or with aftermarket art), New Balance sneakers (he's sponsored by them) and handmade hats. Arc'teryx jackets are everywhere now, though, he admits. He's hardly alone in his affection for them.
"These days, you do feel a little trendy wearing one of those jackets," he says. "It doesn't feel like I'm wearing a rain jacket anymore. [It] feels like I'm making a statement, which is cool for some people, but, for some, they'd rather just be a bit more low key about it."
For him, personal style has always been about comfortability and what makes him feel confident. "Making it known of what I'm wearing isn't really a goal of mine, at all," he says. "I just kind of put on what I like. It's just [about] what feels like you and what makes you happy, and if people like it, cool. If they don't, they don't."
