In McKinsey’s State of Fashion 2024 report, the authors write that: “Technical outdoor wear has been propelled by consumers’ post- pandemic embrace of healthier lifestyles as well as ‘gorpcore,’ and is likely to accelerate even further in 2024.”
Everywhere you look, this seems to be the case. With revenues for the outdoor category up 24 percent in the US in 2022 when compared to pre-pandemic times, even the slow shift away from gorpcore towards the quiet luxury of the quiet outdoors movement can’t slow this blurring of the lines between luxury, functionality and style. From Mammut’s recent “Not a streetwear brand” campaign to the Berghaus-toting Gallagher brothers reclaiming of the limelight, outdoor apparel is mainstream.
How did this happen? Was it a happy accident – the result of an engaged grassroots movement deciding on its own uniform? Or has the outdoors industry played an active part in attracting fashion-conscious young people into its waterproof, highly breathable and packable arms?
To find out, we spoke with PR man, journalist and style icon Neil Summers of Outdoor Licence, writer and publisher ofMountain Style, British Outdoor Fashion 1953-2000, Max Leonard, and material innovation consultant and designer Randa Kherber. With a background in menswear design and a focus on fabrication and functionality, Randa’s work explores the limitations of outerwear through material innovation.
Aspire: Youth culture has been instrumental in making technical clothing mainstream. Has that always been a grassroots thing, or have the brands played a part in promoting that?
Neil Summers: I think that youth culture has been responsible for misappropriating technical clothing (rather than making it mainstream) for at least the last 40 years. During which most brands have either been oblivious or too scared of alienating their core customers to get involved. Whilst social media has given birth to collaborative projects and releases between outdoor clothing brands and various subcultural movers and shakers, wearing a technical piece purely for its aesthetic appeal rather than the task it’s been originally designed for is a big part of the appeal. British style culture is contrarian at its heart, which is why in Manchester we like to wear suede shoes with GORETEX jackets.
Aspire: Has youth culture influenced the design and marketing of technical outdoor clothing in the UK?
Neil Summers: Berghaus founders Pete Lockey and Gordon Davison were definitely looking beyond the mountains for inspiration when they designed their multi-coloured, rave friendly jackets like the (now) iconic Trango back in the 80s. While in the early 90s Henri Lloyd also noticed their increased popularity on the terraces and dancefloors and they expanded their range into polo shirts and leisure wear. Though I guess The North Face partnering up with JD Sports at some point in the Noughties is when the tail really began wagging the dog in terms of their design and marketing.
Aspire: How significant is the crossover between style and functionality to what drives the industry?
Randa Kherber: One of the standout moments in British outdoor clothing – also one of my favourites – was Shackleton’s (1914) Antarctic expedition. Burberry outfitted the team with gabardine, a complete game-changer at the time. Before that, people relied on heavy, waxed cotton, but gabardine was lightweight, breathable, and water-resistant, giving Shackleton’s crew a huge advantage in those brutal conditions without being stiff or uncomfortable. This collaboration set the tone for British outdoor gear, showing that performance and comfort could go hand in hand, pushing designers to keep innovating.
Gabardine’s evolution perfectly shows the crossover between style and functionality. What began as a fabric focused on durability, water resistance and comfort became synonymous with the iconic Burberry trench coat, shifting its role from purely functional to one that defined style as well. This set the foundation for British outdoor apparel that works in extreme environments and everyday life.
Today, we can see brands are leaning into this balance more than ever, using high-performance fabrics in pieces that easily transition from the mountains to the streets. Functionality remains at the core of outdoor clothing while trends shape how that functionality is presented.
Aspire: How do brands balance the need to appeal to both hardcore outdoor enthusiasts and fashion-conscious consumers and how has this changed over the years?
Max Leonard: In the early period that I was really looking at, arguably this wasn’t necessary. The gear companies sprang up because climbers were making specialist clothing that they needed and couldn’t find, and then selling to their mates.
This was true into the 1970s and even the 1980s. But Gore-Tex and fleece changed things somewhat. They were practical and far more versatile. Fleece also looked good, and could be brightly coloured, and the cut and construction of jackets became a lot better than the shapeless cags beforehand – in part because they were so expensive (Gore-Tex approximately trebled the asking price of a jacket, and by the late 80s/early 90s they could cost £300 or more), and in part because Gore-Tex works better if it’s more fitted rather than baggy.
In the 1980s, a lot of brands chased Rohan into ‘lifestyle’, which basically gave up making mountain clothing and had a lot of success making lightweight travel wear. This was the first big crossover period to the man on the street (rather than the youth or subcultures Neil is talking about), boosted by fleece and new materials/colours etc. They produced separate lifestyle ranges to attract the mainstream audience. But outside the lifestyle ranges the messaging remained the same: “Wear X because it summited Y mountain.” The mainstream interest did lead to changes in the product – some met success, some less so, but the late 80s/90s is where the streams crossed.
A lot of brands got into trouble in the early 1990s – but that also had to do with outsourcing manufacturing overseas and changes in ownership away from dedicated climbers and outdoors people, as well as the need to keep prices down for the elusive mass market (and quality not always so high). Lots of brands are still living with the consequences of losing their focus, as the specialist market tends to be loyal, and fashion fickle; and when it leaves you’re in a race to the bottom.
I’d argue no brand has ever managed it super well and no brand really has control over ‘gorpcore’ popularity (Arcteryx included).
Aspire: Can you pinpoint any specific moments or campaigns when you felt that outdoor apparel began to cross over into mainstream fashion? And how did that impact the outdoor industry at large?
Neil Summers: Being from Manchester where we have awful weather, amazing musicians and big football teams I feel that outdoor apparel has always had a part to play in fashion on a local level. Around six years ago TNF took over a multi-story car park in Manchester that featured a cinema, climbing wall, cafe, bar, archive exhibition and a stage where Bugsy Malone performed amongst other local musicians. I think this drew something of a line in the sand for the outdoor industry with many choosing to chase the Nuptse clad youth demographic with the rest deciding to stick to their roots and the world they knew.
Aspire: Beyond functionality, what role do brand image and storytelling play in the success of a British outdoor clothing company?
Max Leonard: It was really a cottage industry until the mid-1980s, and branding and advertising to that point were mainly pretty basic. Berghaus always had flair with their marketing materials, plus the nice logo. Rohan was very self-consciously ‘avant-garde’ when it hit the scene in the mid 1970s, and shook up a lot of design and material thinking, as well as crafting a new relationship with the consumer (direct sales, a customer magazine, a somewhat ‘outsider’ stance). But all the messaging remained pretty functional – it was mainly route 1, focused on tech and product performance in extreme conditions etc. Even the later entrants (Paramo, Montane) didn’t really do much brand building as such – and Paramo’s story is a great one. I’d think that didn’t really happen with UK brands until Rapha or (somewhat less strongly), Finisterre.
Aspire: Why are there so many UK outdoor brands?
Max Leonard: To my mind, there are four reasons:
1. Textile Industry
Yorkshire wool. Lancashire/Manchester cotton. The UK invented the modern textile industry during the industrial revolution and for over a century was at the forefront of fabric technology. Even into the 1980s a lot of UK brands were sourcing fabrics and working with mills a few miles from their premises.
2. Empire
Our long history of exploring and adventuring, including mountaineering and polar exploration heritage, really pushed on the development of clothing technology. Witness Burberry, Aquascutum and Grenfell in the early years. Everest 1953 only renewed this spirit of foreign conquest, and kept mountaineering in the public consciousness, plus it kicked off the Outward Bound and Duke of Edinburgh movements. The Kinder Trespass and the national parks are part of this combined lineage – large urban factory populations wanting to enjoy wild and open moorland and mountain spaces.
3. Elite Climbers
Somewhat against the odds, Everest reawoke the British patriotic fervour for conquering foreign peaks and kickstarted serious mountain climbing again. By the 1970s we had world-class climbers living in a rich(ish) country where they could find sponsors for expeditions. They collaborated with the manufacturers to push clothing design and technology forward, and pushed things up a level or two by taking alpine climbing styles to the Greater Ranges.
4. The Weather
On top of all this, we have a lot of rainy weather, plus the outdoor culture and the advanced industries to deal with it. Charles Macintosh rubberised cotton in 1823; then there was gabardine, Grenfell, Ventile; and we enthusiastically took up and developed nylon (a US yarn) rainwear after the war. Gore-Tex arrived in the UK at testing phase and was launched here by Berghaus only a year after it was formulated. The combination of weather and climbers is no accident.
Aspire: And from a designer’s perspective, how has the UK become such a hub for the outdoor clothing industry?
Randa Kherber: Having graduated from the MA Material Futures at Central Saint Martins, where my project ‘Algear’ focused on biodegradable outdoor gear made from algae, I’ve seen firsthand how the UK’s academic landscape has evolved to support innovation in outdoor clothing. When I was studying my BA in menswear at the same institution, projects like this weren’t possible. Now, with specialized labs and facilities, there’s a stronger emphasis on research, sustainability, and material development – an essential next step in the industry.
In recent years, I’ve also noticed a significant shift toward including women in conversations about outdoor gear. More women are stepping into leadership roles in outdoor brands and design studios, bringing fresh perspectives and a crucial focus on fit and functionality. As consumers, they’re driving demand for stylish clothing that meets their needs, prompting brands to diversify their offerings.
This conversation is about more than just style; it can literally save lives. I’ve heard of women who have died in the mountains after leaving their groups to find a private place to pee, falling off a cornice because their needs weren’t considered in the design process. It’s essential to include women’s voices and experiences at every stage to ensure outdoor gear is functional and safe for all.
Aspire: Looking ahead, what are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the technical outdoor clothing industry?
Randa Kherber: There are some exciting challenges, especially around sustainability and ethical production. It reminds me of that Kevin Kelly quote: “The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.” That’s exactly what innovation in outdoor gear is about: pushing past boundaries and taking on challenges that once seemed impossible. It’s what drives breakthroughs in both performance and sustainability.
We’re in a post-gorpcore moment where people are increasingly aware of products that serve a greater purpose, shifting our approach to materials and functionality. There’s a real need for sustainability that doesn’t need to be overly emphasized – it should just be part of what we do.
The Greenpeace detox campaign set a major deadline for outdoor companies to eliminate toxic chemicals like harmful PFCs, forcing the industry to rethink materials and production processes. We’re seeing a strong push for recyclable end-of-use garments, mono-materials, biomaterials, and eventually regenerative materials.
Moving forward, we can expect huge shifts in materials and performance. UK brands like RAB are leading the way, emphasizing gear you’d rather repair than replace, and their Service Centre is built to keep that gear in action for life. Mountain Equipment is another standout with their Recycled Down program, which sources down from recycled materials to reduce waste.
The future of the technical outdoor clothing industry will be shaped by sustainability and ethical production, opening big opportunities for brands willing to innovate responsibly.
Get in touch to talk to us about ‘outdoor gear’: hello@aspirepr.co.uk or take a look at our work for outdoor brands.
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