The charm of gorpcore is ironic; conventionally unstylish clothes…are stylish! This trend flips the fashion world on its head and opens up the possibility for almost endless outfits. Practicality, utility, and comfort are just as important as style for capturing the true nature of this aesthetic. Brands like Patagonia and Arc’teryx are closely linked with the aesthetic and classic sports brands like Nike and New Balance have proven their place within the trend. Dress it up or dress it down, there are so many ways to bring the adventure of extreme sports into your wardrobe. Let’s take a look to see how some of our favourite women are sporting the not-so-stylish, stylish looks of gorpcore. 

Megan Trong

Where to start talking about this fit. This is head-to-toe gorpcore glam and it doesn’t get much better in our opinion. Megan Trong wears her The Basement x New Balance 2002r, which she matches with a reflective waterproof jacket. Both trainers and jacket are a moss green colour, very fitting choice for gorp! Her ribbed skirt gives off a metallic shine which ties in with the reflecting properties of her jacket. Not to mention her sunglasses make her look as if she is fresh off the slopes, but now ready for business. All we can say is if you are looking for gorpcore inspiration, Megan knows what she is doing.

£ 350

New Balance 2002R X The Basement Olive Black

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£ 190

New Balance 991 Green Moss Cloud

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£ 32.99

Zara Pearl Grey High-Waisted Skirt

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£ 29.99

H&M Black Pleated Skirt

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£ 180

Patagonia Womens Slate Sky Jacket

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Betsy Johnson

Betsy Johnson is all over gorpcore. This all black, oversized outfit is super chic. Cargo pants remain really popular this year so you should have no problem recreating this style. Giving Johnson the ‘matrix look’, her sunglasses and headband are perfect for multi-use, whether that be climbing up a hill or strutting down Oxford Street. 

£ 295

Balenciaga Ski Rectangle Glasses

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£ 114.95

Nike Sportswear Revolution Utility Jacket

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£ 49.99

Bershka Satin Cargo Trousers

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£ 39.99

Bershka Tailored Cargo Trousers

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£ 38

Adidas By Stella McCartney Headband

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Bella Hadid

Bella has recently been showing us she is a big fan of the midi skirt and sport jacket combo. We are loving her take on gorpcore and think she is creating some iconic looks in the process. Her playful use of opposing silhouettes has high fashion written all over it. 

£ 1750

Balenciaga / Adidas Red Tracksuit Jacket

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£ 99.95

Nike England Women’s Pullover Woven Jacket

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£ 680

S Max Mara Dancing Mid-Rise Suede Skirt

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£ 550

Stella McCartney Utility Denim Skirt

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£ 1300

Adidas X Gucci Jacquard Skirt

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Betsy Johnson, Caity Baser and Billie Eilish

These women have a similar take on the trend and are expressing the grungier side of gorpcore. Baggy sweats, cargos, and parachute pants are paired with baggy t-shirts and/or tight long sleeve tops and chunky everyday trainers. Dark and earthy colours are definitely sitting in the driver’s seat for gorpcore this season. This style of gorpcore works great for casual, everyday wear. 

£ 65.97

Nike Jordan Essentials Women’s Utility Trousers

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£ 32.99

Zara Cargo Trousers

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£ 38

Urban Outfitters Daisy Street Camouflage Cargo Pants

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£ 32.99

Urban Outfitters Saskia Long Sleeve Cut-Out Top

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£ 144.95

Nike Air Jordan 1 Acclimate

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£ 29

Urban Outfitters Lily Script Baby T-Shirt

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£ 370

Off-White Paint Script Over Baby Tee

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Kicki Yang Zhang

The ultimate gorpcore look. We love the simplicity and elegance of this fit. Could you look any better at the top of a mountain? Probably not. Keep an eye on Kicki for more of her showstopping looks.

£ 1450

Burberry Detachable Hood Nylon Puffer Jacket

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£ 210

Tommy Hilfiger Water Repellent Down Puffer Jacket

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£ 550

Burberry Check Quilted Nylon Mini Skirt

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£ 150

Adidas D11 Big Baffle Down Hooded Jacket

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Gorpcore is the gift that keeps giving. There are so many stylish ways to dress for this aesthetic while producing completely new fits. Giving gorp an edgy twist like Billie and Betsy, or dressing graciously like Bella, we are sure you will find a style within gorpcore to express yourself.

Words By Erin Wilson

_{Header Graphics By Arundhati Das}

The post Multiple Ways to Dress for the Gorpcore Phenomenon appeared first on Voir Fashion.

During a time dominated by social media, TikTok and Livestream one creature has risen above all others: the E-girl known for her signature pout and the famous Miley Cyrus tongue out facial expression. It is rare almost uncommon to spot the e-girl in the real world her dominion is the internet.Little is known of the true origin of the E-girl but like every person, she is a product of the evolution of many subcultures. In the 1960s and 70s, we had the punks who were majorly situated in London and were formed as a political rebellion on status. Later in the 80s to the 2000s were the emos and goths mostly in America. Across the world in the 90s and 2000, there was an emerging trend of the Harajuku girls made popular into the western culture by Gwen Stephani, theirs was an imitation of girls from Japanese anime. All this subculture are a result of a medium of influence the punks had a political rebellion, the emos and goths, music and the Harajuku girls had anime. The E-girl is an evolution of all this subculture her medium of influence being the internet.The beauty of the E girl lies in her ever-blushing face as her blush lies animated all across her unnaturally freckled face. Her eyeliner is thick and black and winged out. Her eyeshadow of choice is almost always a soft pastel colour. The main beauty mark of the E-girl is her heart-shaped tears painted below her eyes. The main theme of the e-girl beauty look is to look cute and edgy at the same time. These themes have been taken from the Harajuku girls and emo.

The E-girl style consists of a short circle skirt and a striped long-sleeved t-shirt usually worn alone or under a larger shirt. Her clothes are usually thrifted most probably from Depop. Her clothing style consists of a mixture of subcultures the layering from skater style and the pleated skirt from anime characters. Her jewellery consists of more edgy punk themes like pins for earrings chokers and sometimes some face piercings to each e-girl her ownThe increased use of TikTok has led to the rise of the e girl whit trends on TikTok showing videos of transformations into the E-girl so grab you’re your striped long-sleeved your padlock necklace put on some blush and let’s all be E-girls.

Words by Precious Njoki

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post The Rise of the E-Girl appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Over the past decade, the significance of streaming platforms has increased astronomically. While you would expect that the majority of Generation X attempted to keep CDs alive for most of the 2010s, Millenials and Gen Z clearly aren’t willing to commit to similar ideologies moving forward. Why waste time when it’s all in the palm of your hand? Not only do streaming services provide data-based suggestions for your specified taste, more importantly – it gives you the ability to discover music from wherever and whenever, at the single press of a button.

However, this hadn’t been the case with the catalogue of R&B Princess Aaliyah. Since her tragic passing in 2001, her music had been strangely inaccessible. Despite her faithful fanbase, it seemed almost impossible to access her discography, especially since the development of streaming services – but why?

I guess, unsurprisingly, because of some shady business behind closed doors. Uncle of Aaliyah’s and creator of Blackground Records, Barry Hankerson – had refused nearly all of the deceased songstress’s discography the ability to stream legally. Back in 2016, Complex confirmed that – because Hankerson doesn’t own the rights to ‘Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number’, Aaliyah’s debut album continued to be the only piece of her catalogue available to stream and/or purchased digitally.

Aaliyah’s further two albums, chart-topping One in A Million and the posthumous self-titled record, Aaliyah, were still nonexistent within the streaming cosmos. While Pitchfork disclosed in 2017 that an avid fan made an effort to add her final album to digitally purchasable platforms, it was deleted almost instantly. And quite to my surprise, her stans have yet to find a way to legally stream her discography.

And as time went on, I realised that the larger issue remained, that Aaliyah’s legacy was on the path of uncertainty. While Aaliyah remained a fashion symbol for the new generation within the world of social media, the music business has been attempting to coexist within an internet influenced environment for over a decade now. And after the evolution has been realised, if her catalogue was still unavailable to the digital world, her discography would be virtually abolished. Eventually going from the symbol of 90s streetwear and R&B goddess to sentimental concern within pop culture all in the space of 20 years.

But on November 29th 2019, via his own private twitter account – Barry Hankerson announced that he was finally relinquishing the rights to ‘baby girl’s discography, and 18 years after her passing her music would be accessible on platforms such as Spotify, TIDAL, Apple Music, and Amazon Prime.

Whether Hankerson realised the importance and/or seriousness of streaming services within present-day, or just noticed his royalty checks weren’t as big as they used to, regardless – her much adored catalogue will fittingly be available on her 41st birthday, January 16th 2020. An encouraging and somewhat surprising way to start the new decade – with positivity within the notoriously unethical macrocosm of the music business.

Words by Charlie Miller

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post Aaliyah’s Legacy: Why It’s Here To Stay appeared first on Voir Fashion.

A new cohort of entrepreneurs are revolutionising the online-shopping game. If you don’t know already, Depop is the e-marketplace app that allows its users to buy and sell clothing (among other items) and in-turn instigates sustainable purchasing decisions for its users.

But how?

With 80% of Depop’s 11 million users being under 25, resale and reuse culture allows them to contribute to reducing their reliance on fast-fashion brands in an affordable, cost-effective way. Due to popular sustainable fashion brands such as People Tree and Ninety Percent charging roughly £50 for an eco-friendly shirt, buying ‘pre-loved’ or vintage on Depop allows items of clothing that may have been thrown away to have a chance at a second life.

The work of Depop store @essiistore does exactly that. The brand focusses on taking vintage pieces and reworking them into new one-off items. Clearly this type of fashion is popularising as the store has 24k followers and is a Depop Community Leader, meaning it works closely with Depop to help grow, guide and educate the community. Charlotte Coulthard, behind the brand states on social media that her favourite thing about selling on Depop is: “being able to combine [her] passion for vintage clothing… and helping the planet to be more sustainable”.

Bella McFadden (aka “InternetGirl”), another Depop Community leader currently boasts 581k followers on the app. Her vintage re-sells on has led her to build herself a career, a e-commerce website and financial stability. Currently her items along with @essiistore, @194local, @sillyyat and other seller favourites are showcased IRL at Oxford Street’s Selfridges.

Until the end of October, the pop-up Depop space will showcase two different sellers a week. Those selected to display their vintage, luxury, reworked, streetwear and independent looks are brands that have been recognised by the app as advocates for reducing fashion’s global impact. The company prides itself on how its platform helps to “empower the next generation to transform fashion”. Chief Marketing Officer, Peter Semple, states “sustainability is changing the landscape of fashion and the Depop community is helping to define this movement”.

Depop’s admiration for people that rework, reuse and recycle is further shown in their collaboration with designer Nicole McLaughlin, the streetwear artist whose entire design premise of based upon upcycling the old to create something new. On Depop YouTube documentary “Creativity & Sustainability with Nicole McLaughlin”, viewers are reeled into Nicole’s world – from thrifting an old Colombia jacket to completely recreating it into a pair of boots.

Her Instagram feed acts as a portfolio for her viral designs – think Capri-Sun slides and tops made entirely from Nike hats. Her art epitomises the exact kind of sustainability Depop loves. Nicole, in fact, first sourced from Depop to make her now-infamous boots, as stated on the video. Her work parallels with the apps’ principle that one seller’s trash is another person’s treasure. Fans of Nicole definitely seem to agree with her green practices:

“Reworking IS the future and it IS a new form of art. This is going to be the next HUGE thing in fashion and for the first time, an actual ground-breaking movement” reads a comment on the video.

Depop, in its small 8 years of being, has managed to garner a cult-following. It has been able to construct a distinctive aesthetic among Gen-Z and the fashion intelligentsia undoubtedly represented by its collaboration Selfridges on its campaign “The New Order – exploring how the digital revolution is changing the way we live and shop”.

The app, known to some, as Instagram with a ‘buy’ button, clearly provides a way for the social media generation to purchase and sell clothing that is sitting inside another person’s wardrobe rather than a landfill. As the stigma behind buying second-hand dissipates, Depop is clearly a front runner in the online fashion world. It lets people maintain individualism with its one-off piece culture, allows young people snatch up bargains and simultaneously helps save the planet all in one place, what’s not to love?

Words by Hena Sharma

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post Generation Depop: Shopping The Future appeared first on Voir Fashion.

No matter the era, decade or moment, teenagers have always congregated into cliques and niches that help them feel like they fit in at a point in their lives, often when their identity is in crisis.

We saw it in the ’50s with teddy boys, hippies and mods in the ’60s, punk rockers in the ’70s, the new romantics of the ’80s and the birth of the goth in the ’90s.

Subcultures have always had an imperative role in adolescence, and the 2010s are certainly no exception: meet the VSCO girl and E-boy.

VSCO girls:

Don’t worry if you’ve never heard the term, VSCO CEO Joel Flory also had no clue of this internet phenomenon.

Named after the popular photo editing app, VSCO, VSCO girls are Gen Z teenagers who adorn themselves in the aesthetic of the app: a SoCal, hazy, warmly saturated filter.

It became popular with teenage girls as the app provides a happy medium between Instagram stories and feed. While your posts appear on an Instagram feed-like home page, likes and comment don’t feature, creating a harmonising safe space for adolescent girls to share their images without the pressures that social media put forth on them.

Instagram is for best, VSCO is for freedom.

The VSCO girl wears Brandy Melville and Urban Outfitters, puts her hair in a scrunchie, wears Birkenstocks, Crocs or Vans, and usually applies little to no makeup with skincare first brands like Glossier or Mario Badescu.

She is effortless and carefree. She also cares about the planet (who doesn’t these days), so she’s vegan, carries a reusable straw, and a hydro-flask reusable water bottle, most likely plastered with stickers saying ‘save the turtles’ or the free ones sent in Glossier’s millennial pink packaging.

The VSCO girl aesthetic

However, like any niche that has become popular enough to be noticed by ‘mainstream’ media, its mocked for its lack of distinctiveness. And in some respects, it’s deserved.

There is an element of the VSCO girl that makes them feel better than the rest, the “I’m not like other girls” narrative, as it seems the look operates as a rebellion against the makeup-heavy, Kylie Jenner ‘baddie’ look that was so popular with teenage girls.

The VSCO girl plays on the age-old tale that women are always trying to resign themselves from the persona society forces them to be, trying to be that ‘typically pretty girl’.

While you could argue that the VSCO girl look would pass an aesthetic Bechtel test, as its appreciation of natural beauty, and dressing comfortably is done under the guise of fitting in with other women, instead of trying to achieve the male gaze of teenage boys, it still carries some problematic patriarchal values.

At its core by implying it’s a morally superior aesthetic, as an opposition to ‘normal girls’, the VSCO girl look is just another means to attack women, when ultimately the real problem is society’s projection of women being unable to be a multi-faceted being, and unable to be a variety of appearances of personalities.

Better yet, the VSCO girl look is whitewashed and only obtainable with certain wealth (despite its easy-breezy appearance). Take a look any of the popular imagery on the popularised hashtag , all you see are skinny white girls, who can afford the VSCO girl defining symbols, such as the Fjallraven Kanken which sells for £100.

However, these issues aren’t the fault of the VSCO girl, and ultimately at her core is goodness – trying to save the planet, protect the turtles, and celebrate freedom in your precious teenage years. Surely that can’t be a bad thing.

E-Boy:

The e-boy is somewhat similar to the VSCO girl, as the male equivalent to “I’m not like other girls”. The name e-boy refers to the aesthetics’ inspiration from internet culture such as K-pop boy bands and their clothing flair, SoundCloud rappers, Instagram skaters, and gaming culture, and this inspiration manifests mostly in their clothing. Adorned in chains wherever possible, graphic socks and old-school Vans they can also be seen wearing long sleeve striped shirts with a plain black Thrasher shirt pulled over the top, tucked into ankle-grazing jeans. The e-boy, at his core, is the crossbreed between emo and streetwear.

However, the e-boy in comparison to its gentler counter-part, the VSCO girl, is an aesthetic not done for their own comfort or sense of identity, but a look to attract young women, seen most evidently by the way they act on the popular Gen Z app TikTok.

The videos usually involve some kind of rap song playing in the background as they ‘thirst-trap’ teenage girls, which typically consists of the e-boy clenching their jaw, running their hand through their tie-dyed curtain hairstyle, and licking their lips. For anyone over the age of 19, it’s quite disturbing stuff. (For example http://vm.tiktok.com/PpapVP/)

The E-Boy aesthetic

However, the most disturbing part of the e-boy is its sensualisation of recreational drug use and violence as part of the aesthetic. Often these TikTok videos will be a roleplay or P.O.V.-style clip in which the e-boy pretends to grab you by the throat or rob you.

It’s a strange dynamic on which these teenage boys are gaining popularity and fame by playing attracting young girls with the bad-boy aesthetic and a weird distorted level of Stockholm syndrome.

However, most commonly, the e-boy usually just creates cringe-worthy content which displays their developing grandeur sense of vanity as an adolescent.

While e-boys and VSCO girls may make us feel old and out of the loop, what is essential is to have the patience to continue to understand the ongoing trends in adolescent culture online. Since social media has developed such a prevalent role in the livelihood of teenagers and their mental health, it’s more important than ever to take an interest in who the younger generation are following are influenced by.

Graphics by Katie Janes

The post New Kids On The Block: Meet The VSCO Girl And E-Boy appeared first on Voir Fashion.