Functional outdoor clothing has come a long way since the first tourists from England visited the Alps. The advent of lightweight, comfortable, warm and waterproof clothing has allowed more and more people to visit the high mountains in winter and summer. It was the invention of synthetic fibres in the 20th century that launched the new style of outdoor wear we see today. This expensive, technical wear has been adopted by fashion and is now worn on the high streets of major cities across the globe. Even once obscure equipment like the belay jacket now appears on the backs of those who have no idea, or care, for its original function.
When I left Chamonix in 2018 I had an Arc’teryx waterproof shell, a great jacket designed for the most atrocious conditions the mountain environment could throw at it. When I purchased the jacket many years previously, ‘Archaeopteryx Lithographica’ was a little-known company from the North Shore of Vancouver founded by local climbers. A year or so back in the UK and into a seemingly never-to-end pandemic, I put the jacket on eBay with little initial hope of getting much of my monetary investment back. But I was wrong.
The bidding began within an hour of me listing it, and over the length of the auction, I received offers and counter offers that were more than I initially paid. A little research brought me into the world of TechWear, later to split into various factions, the most popular of which is known as ‘Gorpcore’. These trends have become increasingly popular on Instagram and TikTok and their followers covet special fabrics with advanced technology and construction but don’t need or use them. A bit like military cosplay but without the weapons. At its high, or low point, depending on your point of view, Gorpcore appeared to influence both Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner's outfits for at least a week.
Arc’teryx had become a hot brand. Virgil Abloh, the visionary fashion designer had been seen in an Arc’terx LEAF waterproof shell - LEAF is the military supplying arm of the brand - and that was enough. Not all outdoor brands are popular with TechWear followers - TechWear enjoys a high cyberpunk content and in a backwards forwards direction, old Oakley gear was also back in fashion. Mumbos, M-Frames, Over the top, you name it, they all fetched a pretty price. Everything old is new again in fashion. As TechWear develops its own brands, the old ones will lose their appeal and the hype for Arc’teryx will cool. The founders already sold the brand and the inevitable downfall into collaborations has begun.
The North Face is the king of outdoor brand collaborations. The outdoor professional has long discounted North Face as a serious choice. Its Summit Series still exists but every year looks in jeopardy. Who hasn’t had a leaky North Face rain shell at this point? Founded in 1964 by Doug and Susie Tomkins they sold rock climbing and camping equipment out of a store in San Francisco. The domed tent was an icon of the brand - you will have seen it on Instagram with a bright yellow glow on a starry night somewhere in the mountains. Doug sold the brand in 1967 to work on his other brand Esprit. North Face was bought by the VF Corporation in 2000 and today is better known for streetwear and collabs as outdoor wear.
You can’t mention Doug Tomkins without Yvon Chouinard, the legendary founder of Patagonia. When Doug sold his stake in Esprit he used the money to promote conservation in Chile and Argentina, buying up land that would eventually become National Park. It was Doug who convinced Chouinard to become a conservationist, although today when we think of the conservation of the planet we think of Patagonia. Yvon and Doug were good friends spending time together and adventuring in Chile. Yvon was with Doug when his kayak capsized on General Carrera Lake in southern Chile in 2015. Tompkins spent a ‘considerable amount of time’ in 4°C (40 °F) waters and later died from hypothermia.
Technologies have developed over the years but none has such an impact on fashion as the down jacket. Invented by the American Eddie Bauer in 1939 it took a Frenchman to find its potential. Founded by climber René Ramillon and entrepreneur Andrè Vincent in a village south of Grenoble, the two abbreviated the village's name from Monestier-de-Clermont to MON-CLER.
Moncler made a down jacket that climber Lionel Terray used on his expeditions and helped develop the equipment. Terray expeditions led to the first collection - ‘Moncler pour Lionel Terray’ designed to endure extreme conditions, it included down jackets, overalls, gloves and sleeping bags. Many expeditions followed including Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli’s first summit of K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, the summit of Mount Makalù. Moncler was the official supplier to the French downhill ski team in the 1968 Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France.
In the 1980s, Moncler jackets became popular in Italian street fashion thanks to a group of affluent teens creating a subculture with an unlikely mix of American and European styles. By the end of the 1990s, Moncler was on the verge of bankruptcy as multiple multinational brands moved into the outdoor space. It was saved by creative director Remo Ruffini who purchased Moncler and appointed himself CEO and head of the board. Ruffini managed to turn the company around by taking the company public and pivoting Moncler to the fashion side of the brand.
Ruffini’s strategy was rewarded in an unlikely turn in 2015 when Drake wore a Moncler down jacket in the video for his song ‘Hotline Bling’. Sales spiked for the €1150 Maya jacket and as meme culture took hold, that ‘Drakeposting’ meme appeared everywhere, front and centre with the Moncler logo. Moncler’s ascension from haute montagne to haute couture was complete.