I feel like this trend is basically just the world catching up to all of Sweden and Norway permanently dressed in functional clothing due to awful weather. Good for us though, we might finally be cool.
I think I found my people. I’m just back from Lapland and every time my wife was with me, people would start with English, but when I was out and about on my own, they would start with Finnish, even in touristy places. Clearly my fashion style screamed Nordic.
or Newfoundland, Canada. Third windiest city on the planet, forever foggy and infinitely wet 99.9%of the time. @@sweater7630 The whole privince is "outdoor quiet" or whatever the fuck home boy is desciribing here xD
As a person that is into the outdoors and has been their hole life. i hope that in some twisted way this helps people to get in touch with not only with the sport of hiking in the weekends. But hopefully a deeper more nuanced understanding of the areas outside the human sphere of influence, and all the areas of study that are related to them.
The alternative being sewing your own (first and foremost so it actually fits) and just not adding a logo. Fabric worth your while isn't cheap, but it's much cheaper than a $700. Interestingly many natural fibers already have many of the properties that are so sought after in technical materials
@@lucawasserer Not really, a big chunk of that is just remembering to do basic things like pressing (ironing seams) seams, trimming loose threads, and finishing edges in some way. Honestly, you could start doing things like simple shirts and lounge pants within your first 3 projects. Button-ups could also be possible, though button holes can be slightly intimidating. Once you learn the basics- maybe ~3-5 projects in, the world is basically your oyster. There's millions of pre-made sewing patterns out there, basically all of which can be modified to suit your tastes. Hand sewing expands that even more.
@@dariolaseri2661 Not always been so easy. In my former profession it was desirable to maintain high clothing functionality and to blend into the populace with a ' low profile'. But it was not so easy as outdoor clothing for decades was made specifically to stand out, with screamingly large logos and loud colors. I had stuff tailor-made or modified and I was a fiend at cutting off logos. In the 80's I got so annoyed at the bright fabric colors I actually wrote a letter to REI telling them they'd sell more stuff if they adopted some subdued colorways. Well, I didn't use the pretentious term 'colorways' because no one did at that time. Now I'm annoyed that everyone wants to be Jason Bourne and you actually stand out by blending in.
I like actual teachwear getting more and more real-world use lately but on the other hand I hate that everything has to be some sort of tiktok trend which leads to mid-range producers to ramp up their prices 250%+ just so "influencers" and others can show off. I remember Jack Wolfskin, Klättermusen and so on being ~100-150€ (which was kinda expensive already in, lets say, 2012 when I started to care about fashion) and not 500€+ for single items.
Just right off the bat, this new 'trend' simply appears to be how me and the rest of the aspirational middle classes dress when we have to get a 6am train into the capital to start our jobs in big shiny buildings with lots of elevators... and we need to look office professional, hump a laptop around and also don't want to get cold and wet walking from the tube station... and it's been minus 5 for the last couple of weeks. But you can't look like you've been hiking, even though that walk to and from public transport can expose you to similar weather conditions. I mean... I can't say I hate it, it's just like... thats how I look in my day job.
As a kid who grew up in the rainy northwest I hate this, I grew up needing water proof or water resistent items, jackets, and such. North face, columbia, patagonia, ll bean, mountain hardwear are all staples on this neck of the woods. Humans have this bee hive mindset and tik tok just throws this into hyper mood. This is literally the Stanley cup saga. Consume, consume, consume.... you don't need 10 rain proof jackets for everyday of the week...
When you mentioned Polartec fleece has a "in the know" type item, It made me realise just how big the divide is between the fashion consumer and the function first end user. If anything fleece insulating layers could now be considered oldschool and have been getting phased out for loft insulation garments for quite a while. This becomes even more apparent when looking at military clothing systems that are almost always behind the curve on a conceptual level, and even there we see synthetic insulation loft jackets starting to dethrone fleece. Also we cannot ignore the Scandinavian, absolutely warranted obsession with technical wool garments, that many would argue are absolute king has base layers, and superior to fleece in insulating jackets. A side note, lets not fall into the same trap with Polartec has many did with Gore-Tex, letting it become a synonym for performance fleece. Polartec just like Gore have a very wide range of products that manufacturers can leverage to realise there design intent. This can lead to an consumers having incorrect expectations about the functionality of a certain garment. Any trustworthy performance manufacturer, will almost always detail the specifics of materials used (especially when asked) beyond a generic "Gore-Tex breathable membrane".
I grew up in Sheffield so there was always this culture of wearing technical stuff for the everyday, still is. Everybody’s dad would have hiking shoes and trousers, mad fleeces and all that gear just as the everyday uniform. I suppose it’s the inevitable cycle of everybody dressing like their dad, only now it’s cool.
It's cuz it's very practical. Performance always beats aestethic imo. It's like what good is your jacket if it looks nice if you are freezing in it or it tears easily.
This trend needs to change course to more sustainable fabrics and weatherproofing. Right now almost all of this kind of gear is laden with per-fluorocarbons (PTFE, PFAS, ePTFE, PFC) otherwise known as forever chemicals. They are polluting the water we drink and they are now commonly found in our blood--to think this would become trend is just sad. You are starting to see some of the companies who have been doing this for a min get on to new fabrics, Acronym and the Burel Wool is a nice start, and you see Stone Island with some performance based cotton fabrics. Do yourself a favor and read up on what makes this gear water repellent, read what it is doing to the environment. To put things in perspective, the US is suing 3M over the pollution of our drinking water to the tune of 10.3 billion dollars, if that gives you any sense of the gravity of this stuff. Sorry Antwon, love your content, but people need to learn about this stuff.
Wool and linen are also top notch natural fibers with properties worth looking at. Best thing would be someone learning to sew so they could at minimum maintain what they've already invested in, with the option of making their own clothing that better suits their needs
Your perspective on government and the world starts to shift when you realize that no government truly has the power to prevent wrongdoing, only the power to punish those responsible after the fact. In other words, you are responsible for your own health and safety
This is a really great and valid point! People have been wearing „technical“ clothing made from natural (!) fibers for thousands of years. There are so many amazing and technical ways to use natural fibers like wool that make any plastic product obsolete. After my old TNF Goretex Five-Point- Shell started to actually fall apart, I went to the store to buy a new one, just to find out that all the new jackets are double the price now and the salesperson said to me „yeah, you just have to buy another one after 5 years, that is just how it goes“ and I was like „no, this is madness“. In the last years I have almost exclusively been wearing clothing from natural fibers - there are rain resistant jackets made from wool btw - and they feel so much better and last way longer without creating more plastic waste.
Call it greenwashing, circular manufacturing, or plain offsetting but to me any outdoor or technical apparel manufacturer should have some kind of recycling or repairs program for this very reason.
I do like not having massive logos all over my clothes but looking rich is not the goal here. If the trend helps me find new brands then I dont mind. Great video as always Antelope.
So I live in Vancouver, headquarters of both Arcteryx and Lululemon. Outdoor gear is what most people wear most of the time. The rain means you pretty much need Goretex just to walk rhe dog. I would estimate that most people have a serious outdoor activity that prioritizes specialized function in clothes and even skiing is fairly accessible on local mountains. Anyhow this means amywhere ftom half to 100 per cent of the people you see are in mostly outdoor gear depending on what part of town. Some of them look stylish and some look schlubby because when it's just what everyone wears you get the full range. So I'm akways amused at "outdoor gear as an aesthetic" because where i live its kind of non-fashion, the fall back for comfort
this all just reminds me of truckbros kitting their vehicles around overlanding despite the only adventure they'll only ever go to is the local walmart parking lot
I'm glad you re-touched on the "greyman" thing, as honestly this did feel like a "retooling" of things we've seen before. I wouldn't be surprised to see people pairing up Veilance stuff with perhaps Outlier to achieve that "im secretly waterproof" fit.
gotta say ant, loving the recent footage of you touching grass. seriously, its nice to see you stay true to your roots, and this footage (while being relevant to the trend of showing expensive clothes used in outdoor scenarios) is also a reminder that all of this techwear stuff is rooted in outdoor adventuring. it doesn't exist in a vacuum, unlike what taobao and aliexpress would have us believe, and that all functionality is just excess straps and zippers: it's pit zips, it's gaiters, it's cinches, it's articulation, it's breathable textiles, it's durable materials, it's snow skirts. i think your point is a good one, and that article titled "today's most exciting shoes are also the most functional ones," pretty well sums up the argument for techwear as a whole: is the most quantified clothing also not the most qualified?
Back in 2010, as a woman, it was impossible for me to find a hard shell jacket in a color that wasn’t these ugly shades of pink, orange or red. (I wanted a black one and had to settle for a charcoal one with pink and purple zippers.) I do understand the purpose of wearing bright colors for when you hike in areas where people hunt and/or for if you get hurt/lost. I mostly do day hikes locally and I like to look good doing it. This has improved since, as outdoor brands tend to follow trends, so I welcome the results that will follow this trend in a few months. (My current obsession is non-wintery white gear to help heed off deer flies, any tips on quality white hiking pants would be greatly appreciated)
@@JadeEyeland It’s supposed to help. Deer flies land on you because they think you’re a deer or moose, so white or light clothing makes you look less like a deer. I’ve also heard fastening a fake dragonfly (on a stiff wire)on you is supposed to help, but I’m not willing to walk around with that 😂
I'can totally relate, specially with the raspberry or minty colors.. As for your question: Depends on what you need in an outdoor/ hiking pants..I found some good options with Houdini Sports gear, a Scandinavian brand.
Quiet tip if you like this kind of stuff: buy Decathlon’s ‘Quechua MH500 jacket’ in all black. Sick quality jacket for €89. It’s my only non-Arc’teryx outdoor piece.
As a Long distance hiker I have to admit all my Decathlon stuff outperformed Brand stuff over time. My ten year old Merino Shirts are as good as new. But all my expensive stuff is in the repair bin rn. I started wearing on shoes 10 years ago but moved to altra eventually. The shift from Performance to Fashion Brand made them so much less durable than they used to be.
I was lucky enough to get low key Canadian brands at a bargain price, like Westcomb and Quartz Co. that doesn't scream logos and are built for the extreme cold with exceptional qualities.
I adore the astute standpoint taken in these videos that make them thought-provoking and generally set-apart from the usual RU-vid offerings. They make your work truly unique. Please don't stop ! 😘
I think shooting part of the video "on location" adds a lot of character and style development to your videos. So if you make a video about gorpcore (or anything that's the same just with different name), it's nice to see footage from nature, and when you talk about streetwear, it'd be really nice to see some back alleys! As for the quiet outdoors, I still don't really get it, seems like it's nothing but renamed and rebranded style that's already been around for a while, which you of course mentioned. The outro was really good and well said.
Refreshing to hear a perspective on fashion that acknowledges the hype, but places the central focus on materials, design language and functionality. Great work!
At the end of the day the overall fashion industry needs to give reasons to keep buying things. Like you said they’re essentially repackaging elements of existing “cores”. Patagonia has been and will be my standard of what a brand needs to offer outside of the actual products. These luxury brands do not have a great track record with maintenance or customer service. Now you’re asking people to trust them with outdoor wear for x10 the price. ☠️
Gorpcore is literally just post Techwear minimalism. So the "evolution" from Hypebeast to Minimalism and now to Quite Luxury is the same as the "evolution" from Techwear to Gorpcore and now to Quite Outdoor.
I've been seeing clothing that looks like this for years and years. You may have hit the nail on the head with "big fashion" being the codifiers causing the push back.
No matter what kind of outdoor performance stuff you wear you will always pale in comparison to the Eastern European middle aged man who just casually walks on the mountain on his flip-flops with a Bila shopping bag filled with meat, bread and drink. When combined with the fanny pack and random t-shirt he doesn't even know where it came from the powers are too much. Nothing can beat that.
Been into less branded outdoorwear for a while and i have the same feeling about it reaching a more public space. Its great that more people come to appreciate it but not looking forward to price hikes 😢
Basically fashion platforms being funded by brands to promote lack of creativity. The whole quiet trend is just a marketing ploy to maximize the margins, as most of those clothing items rely on a very easy to make, minimal in detail garments. It's a bit sad, as I think some techwear brands had the semi-minimalism look on lock while still offering genuine innovation. Now, nothing is hidden. What you get is what you see, and the mention of "quality" is an abstract concept less than something defined by technical standards or standardized tests.
Proper outdoor gear, especially tops is 1) in natural colours due to "heritage" brands and blood sports or 2) bright to the point of obnoxious so the search & rescue team can find us.
Ive basically been waiting for this tbh. Having practical clothes that fit outdoors and in the city is nice..the issue is the price and needing to make it exclusive. Access outdoors has also always been a wealth signifier with a high buy in. As someone told me, people spend $500+ on gear to live like a hobo and not deal with us who cant. Pub transit usually doesnt take you to real outdoor spots, just like city parks.
I am somewhat happy to see stylish functional ware. When companies like Mizzen and main and Ministry of supply started making functional office wear with stretch and moisture wicking, that completely changed my perception on dress shirts. I think having more stylish technical options that keep me warm and dry, but don't scream " I am going hiking!" is a welcome improvement. Glad to see the continued blend of stylish/ comfortable. Though I usually buy my stuff from smaller brands vs bigger or high fashion brands.
I’ve been dressing this way my entire life and been told relentlessly that I have no style, so this is just another trend that’ll give me loads of new clothes once it floods the clearance racks. It suits my everyday life of gardening/dog hikes/chasing after young kids so I’m just looking forward to more functional but sleek looking pants options since I’m not a leggings as pants person.
Well, recently I've gained the opportunity to walk to work, it's a 20 minutes distance, and the wether is often bad. I love it, because I enjoy hiking in general. Yet I have been feeling awkward once at the office, because my pragmatic clothing doesent really align with the companys' conservative culture. In theese (quite specific) circumstances, this category of clothing seems to find a perfect nieche. Still, I don't think I'll adopt it, I don't have the space or budget for two sets of hiking/pseudo-hiking clothes.
"Exploring quiet luxury is like delving into a timeless realm where established brands like Ralph Lauren (RLX, Polo), Barbour, and Nigel Cabourn reign with their classic styles. It's fascinating to see how collaborations, like Uniqlo's partnerships with White Mountaineering, Engineering Garments, and J+, or the innovative experiments by Junya Watanabe for Comme des Garçons, bring together art, design, and technology seamlessly. From North Face Purple Label to Adidas Y-3, the fusion of fashion and functionality through technologies like wind stopper and Gore-Tex adds a whole new dimension to the art of dressing.
I already dress like this and I really really hope this doesn't actually become a trend. On the other hand, dressing sleek, refined yet functional is a good thing that i wish more ppl would do, as long as that is the reason they do instead of just chasing a trend.
Maybe I am just getting old, but I love my technical/hiking gear for the exact purpose it is built. There was a time, where I would wear some of that stuff in my urban/daily life, but I now just leave all the outdoor stuff in my closet. It only ever gets used for doing outdoor stuff now and my daily clothing explicitly consists of mostly higher quality natural fibers and classic fits. Also, as someone who starts to sweat extremely quickly, I avoid plastic clothing in my daily life at all costs. The only exception I make are two fleeces midlayers (Patagonia Nano Puff and Haglöfs Fleece) for days where the weather is rapidly changing.
Hey antwon, seeing this topic about actual functional gear that combines good looks permeating more and more into the mainstream really reminds me of an article i read a while ago that was about death stranding and acronym and how clothes may be percieved as gear that has levels like in a game, for example: A plain white t shirt might be functional in it's own right, but it's boring and could only get you so far, let's say that's level 1 gear, while a gore tex acronym shell, wel that's level 5 and so on. This perception to me is quite interesting specially because i think it's more and more getting into the mainstream in a subcouncious way. My gandma wears mostly cotton and cares for how a garment looks, while i really search for garments that offer me flexibility or ease of use in my day to day. This might be a topic which you could research and talk about if you find it interesting. Great video and viewpoints as usual
I found your channel thanks to the gorpcore ties, trying to find outdoor gear reviews and staying because the presentation was interesting. If you're really into outdoors gear, brands like Norrona and Rab are able to provide some of the best tech and innovation in the industry. My concern with luxury brands trying to get in on the trend is the dilution of the end product. Moncler charging $3k for a ski jacket that isn't waterproof or good for skiing makes this trend frustrating as an outdoor enthusiast.
I think you hit on a great point at the end there. I like gorpcore for no other reason than it looks cool. I don't hike or go on trails, so I don't fall into gorpcore's original demographic and I don't like how they can be really gatekeepy. But I also don't like the fact this trend is just gonna raise prices and *maybe* dilute the quality of some the gorpcore garments. I just wanna experiment with materials, textures, and silhouettes without breaking the bank. For now I guess I'm just stuck with my chinese PCU Level 5 I got on Alibaba for $30
I hadn't heard of these terms before (thanks, RU-vid algorithm!) but I'm not sure it's as ominous as you make it out to be. If luxury brands see there is a growing market in fields they are not in you can see why they would launch their own range. Jaguar Cars sell 4x4s now because they saw that a lot of rich people are simply not in the market for a saloon car, they want a fancy 4x4, pretty much every shoe brand from Louboutin to Church's sells trainers now because sneaker heads want a classy sneaker, they don't want a traditional shoe, so if high fashion brands see that customers want to wear something both functional and fashion forward then they will probably offer it to them.
yup Canada goose … only the outdoors brands for peasants (I mean “legacy” 😮) like ll bean can necessarily transcend inauthenticity. The only luxury is the will to survive.
I think a huge shift would also be the reclamation of clothes as being individual expression instead of box ticking trend follows. You should be ultimately wearing stuff because it’s what YOU like. Take for example I will likely own my 11 by BBS Bamba 2s until I can’t walk or they fall apart regardless of them now being not the it thing because I genuinely love everything about that shoe. Same with the Salomon XA 2s. I adore the look of that boot and regardless of it getting over done into oblivion it will always be a staple of my wear because I love the way they work with so many different looks. Yes of course brands will always be valued, I just exposed my Salomon obsession clearly, but if we take a step back from trying to stay on trend and instead focus our style around what speaks to us I think a lot of this cringe big fashion “this is the it style” thinking will slowly go away. I like your thoughts around more minimal branding even though it’s now been co-opted into the “quiet” genre blow up but ya I just think it’s interesting to hear how the scene is evolving into another form of hype beasting and getting away from its routes of if you know you know. And ultimately if you’re in the know you should be in it cause you enjoy it not just so you can get a small rush of wow aren’t I so cool cause ultimately unless you’re like a famous person or getting paid brand sponsorship virtually nobody gives a shit about what you’re wearing anyway unless you’re in circles with other people who also bottle and sniff their own farts. Just my two sense but I’ve also been using your channel these past two months as a huge reference for growing my current style without having the massive amounts of money required nowadays to get a lot of the items I’d otherwise want.
Love these takes on fashion from you. You put words and voice to a lot of the same thoughts I've had/have, especially after the surge og gorpcore. As someone who's always been interested in technical clothing, both from an aesthetics and functionality viewpoint, I feel like it's "always been there", but now I feel there's a clear on-latching effect from the none-tech brands... which is good for them I guess, but I'm not buying any Salomon sneakers in the near future either. Conversely, the stuff I do own from TNF, ACG, Arcteryx etc. still feel like they solve my daily functional needs (commuting by bike, hiking and MTB'ing on the weekends), yet still look good, and is somewhat hard-wearing; and their recent rise in the fashion world, doesn't seem to effect the quality I've come to expect. So no harm no foul. Hopefully. I would say, on a personal level, I've begun looking towards more "legacy" or heritage brands like Filson and Fjällræven, in hopes of getting items that are longer lasting (hopefully) and more timeless I guess, from a fashion standpoint - maybe I'm just getting old(er) 🤷♀ But. Good video. Thanks.
The brief showing of the Klättermusen logo makes me hope for a video about them at some point. Definitely my go to outdoor brand for a more unique look.
As a person who actually goes to mountains a lot, I can't choose Goldwin or anything similar. All of these wannabe outdoor brands fall apart. Satisfy shorts fall apart. Even within the most iconic outdoor brands like Arc'teryx, Mountain Equipment, RAB, NF - even within those, many many models are shit. So I'm just happy with the bird logo jacket. And ME puffer.
I'd love to wear brands like hamcus/veilance and ROA. I recently thrifted some moss green colombia ski pants and I've been living in them. I've always been interested and nostalgic for sportswear stuff and have wanted to dress like an ssx tricky character.
There are definitely some Moncler pieces which could fit into this and it fits the 'performance + luxury' very well. They do tend to make quite heavy use of their logo though, and a lot of their jackets are a bit too distinctive to be 'quiet'
I just hate the snobby aspect of this trend but I appreciate them pushing the envelope that then trickles down to the cheaper clothing pieces but that also feeds into the fast fashion aspect as well
Not the most original pov, but to me its like they just keep repackaging the same things in slightly different cuts with marginally different stories to tell. It just reflects the trend of having to hypercategorize every single concept with a different enough label you can sell to consumers before it dies out in a couple weeks or months. What was normcore became bloke core, what was techware became greyman and what was gorpcore now became quiet outdoors. There's nothing wrong with following trends, but god damn is it getting old seeing fashion institutions struggle to find at least a single refreshing concept that not just 'thing before with slightly different marketing'
Fashion taking cues from technical clothing and outdoor brands branching into more fashionable terrain is a good thing overall, I think. It just has to happen with genuine creativity and the desire to design a good product instead of just profiteering off a trend. My favorite example is Japanese fashion brands making interesting clothes with technical properties and fabrics while keeping their own unique design language, like Devoa or The Viridi-anne.
i feel like your conclusion describes the big snowboard company's ski jakets since the early 00's. theyve always been cool and functional. burton, volcom, dc and even quiksilver have been doing this for decades, or not? what have i missed? interesting video bro!
Norse Projects have been doing this for years, same with North Face Purple Label - as someone who works in an office in the UK in a semi rural area, smarter wear with outdoors hits ie jacket and waterproof shoes / bag is the only way to dress
yo that dior and prada jacket goes hard tho. Also, I mentioned it before, but Everlane had a Urban jacket that had this kind of minimalist peformance jacket look that they don't have anymore.
Very few people are capable of truly pulling offf quiet luxury or quiet outdoor -- to do it right you have to actually not care if people think you're rich.
I think quiet outdoor is dressing for cold wet weather but not looking too polished or too shabby. It is more like urban tactical combat wear that is disgusted as regular casual. You need to dress "protective" without looking "protective" in urban areas.
Lol as a Norwegian I can’t relate. I think it’s hilarious how we here in Norway and Scandinavia in general have been dressing for years suddenly is a “trend”. Tho I do think the people who have an issue are from countries and cultures where the outdoors isn’t really a thing as opposed to here where being out in nature and hiking is our cultural identity… of course Scandi fashion isn’t really tech wear or outdoor clothing, that’s just what you normally wear to protect yourself from the elements. Outdoorsy people here dress differently than people who aren’t. Tho the core of our style philosophy has always been comfort and we have a saying in Norwegian: “finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær». Aka «no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing!». And one can quickly tell who’s rhe tourist by how poorly people dress in terms of the weather and the geography. Even on the big cities and urban areas, where people are more into fashion, it’s obvious.
Awesome video as always. I think the "trend" aspect of it is pretty annoying and cringe-inducing, but there's a strong possibility for really cool clothes to come out as a result so that's exciting. Great breakdown of a trend as always. Plus the shots of you talking outside made me feel like I was watching an after school public access show.
For the most part I don’t want anyone to know what I’m wearing or using in my day to day. Some things I can let slide with big logos or instant recognizability because of how they fit in with my workflow or how I operate, though. Maybe being behind the cutting edge of fashion is influencing me in ways I never imagined
I’m surprised you never mentioned RAINS. Been buying their stuff for 5/6 years now and imo the last collection I bought into (AW23) was better than just about anything at any price range 🤷🏻♂️
Long story short, stop looking online for “fashion influence” if it takes you 3 years to build your wardrobe that isn’t a bad thing. Stop being chronically online and you won’t have to dress a certain way at all. It will literally only be your personal asthetic. And no “streetwear is not fashion.
I feel like the term quiet is like a nod or a poser way of being apart of a group. Like a hack to be apart of a group like you don’t really go outside. You aren’t really outdoorsy but you want to look that way or quiet luxury, you didn’t grow up with money but you want to appear to be knowledgeable.
Ok this is a new trend I could get behind outdoor clothing always has been really practical but mostly not that fashionable. So why not give me some practiall clothing that doesn't look out of place when just walking around in the city
I live in Vermont in the United States and the rest of the country makes fun of us for always wearing flannel, blundstone boots, and looking like were always on the way to a hike. TONs of Pategonia, Arkteryx. We have a similar climate to Scandanavia and people who move here quicky learn that its not just fashion it is necessary for the frequently changing incliment weather and snow. And jokes on them we ARE likely to go on a hike at a moments notice. Haha
I am not a fashion person at all but don't really know how to feel about these trends. I spend a lot of time outdoors, wildcamping, etc. but also urban exploration so I've always worn tactical and functional clothing and liked not fitting in with society's pretentious and somehow artificial clothing styles. I don't know wether I should like that I don't stick out as much cuz a lot of other people wear olive green and camo military cargo pants or tactical hard and softshells or dislike it cuz I might be seen as one of these wannabe fashionable morons...
I think its really tricky. Its somewhat interesting to me to hear the reaction of more outdoorsy people disliking the trend because of its inauthenticity, yet alot of people jumped on the work wear aesthetic with Carhart and dickies. Tradesman were pissed since it inflated the price of work gear on the 2nd hand market and made quality older items harder to find. Additionally it kind of used to be a "if you know you know" thing and the style was a way to identify others in the field. I think any group that has been target by "fashion" is going to be somewhat displeased.
As someone who does a lot of rock climbing and backpacking this trend is not something I’m going to hop on. Like most people who do outdoor sports like hiking and climbing we are just going to wear what’s cheapest and works the best for us.
For me, I feel like the real "quiet outdoors" label is about investing in quality outdoor products that aren''t really as heavily marketed but they're "just as good" or even better than the known brands, e.g. The North Face, Patagonia, Arcteryx, etc. Some examples that I can think of are Mountain Hardwear, Outdoor Research, Rab, and the likes. That being said, I really do appreciate the traction that these trends are creating and I hope it drives the culture of buying quality and functional items for long term use or BIFL (Buy it for life), which I hope will be the endgame for both Gorpcore and Quiet Outdoors.
Not me in my veilance drip watching this. I would hope this “trend” pushes veilance more. Haven’t really liked anything new for a minute. Grabbed a monitor jacket two years ago and it feels like Ive beat the game.
The simplification is nice I wish more brands would ditch the big logo. That being said, when it comes to outdoor wear, If I see someone dressed like that on the trail, they will be laughed off the trail
