A few years ago, Gorpcore used to be the biggest trend in streetwear. Everyone was dripped out in Arc’teryx shell jackets and Salomon XT-6s, just to go to the coffee shop. The butt of the joke for many London meme pages such as @pathetic and @sockshousemeeting, this particularly city-centred phenomenon lasted for a few good years, with lads copping the best waterproof technology to shield themselves from the light London drizzle.
The tide has worn off, but not in the way you think. Gorpcore has cemented itself so much into the streetwear zeitgeist, that now, in 2026, Salomon XTs and the latest technical trail gear are not just for the posers and content creators on the streets of Soho. Weather protection is now part of the wider mainstream. And what started as a niche micro-trend has now become an elemental part of our wardrobes.
Merrell©
At the start of the autumn season, Nike brought back the Air Max 95 Gore-Tex, a Gorpy iteration of the classic Nike silhouette built for rainy streets. The AM95 Gore-Tex, first introduced in 2023, is being released in multiple new colourways, with Nike championing its Gore-Tex features.
Salomon’s also been on a generational run with its releases. With the Gorpcore boom of the 2020s, the French sportswear label went from €900m global sales in 2020, to a $2b annual revenue in 2025, with an approximate 35% year-over-year growth. The virality of the X-6 brought new dozens of collaborations with MM6, Sandy Liang, the newest Offspring linkup, and many more, as well as expanding the XT range with new silhouettes such as the XT-Evo.
Clarks has been releasing more Gorpy iterations in new collabs, such as with Moncler that brought a Vibram Wallabee built for weather protection and grip, and a hiking-inspired version of the Desert Boot in collaboration with Italian shoemaker Diemme. And adidas just announced a collaboration with Manchester-based streetwear brand Drama Call, bringing a Gore-Tex iteration of the ClimaCool, the ClimaCool GTX Drama.
Even though Gorpcore started as a heavily menswear trend, women’s streetwear is seeing a massive technical boom this season. Damson Madder’s recent collaboration with END. highlighted the brand’s outerwear selection including waterproof and weatherproof pieces, Cecilie Bahnsen’s ongoing partnership with The North Face dropped embroidered gear, Madhappy x Keen gave us trail Mary-Janes, and Sweaty Betty recently collabed with Merrell for an exclusive colourway of the Moab Speed 2 Gore-Tex, the brand’s most popular trail silhouette.
Cecilie Bahnsen©
There’s a collective need for functional gear: the rise of Gorpcore means that we are now spoiled with water-resistance and our generic jackets and canvas sneakers just aren't working out like they used to. We just want to stay warm and dry, so the demand is consistently increasing. And technical pieces becoming mainstream means that it’s now a necessity to have a Gore-Tex jacket and a trail shoe in our rotation – whether we require the technical aspects for day-to-day wear or we just like the vibe.
Salomon©
