THRIFTING CELEBRITY GORPCORE

What do Diana, Princess of Wales and Frank Ocean have in common? Gorpcore! The late Princess’s iconic ski look from 1995 and Ocean’s yellow puffer worn at Paris fashion week 2019 are the It-outdoor attire we need.

The trend has become a staple of not only celebrity high fashion but also everyday wear. Despite the hefty price tags on high-end brands, the accessibility of Gorpcore has been praised by the fashion industry.

But how true is this? Can effortless celebrity Gorpcore looks be mimicked at your local vintage shop?

GORP reporters Grace Nicholls and Ben Jones head to Flamingo’s Vintage in Cardiff to find out.

Diana’s Lech ski look

Diana’s outfits are remembered to this day as some of the most influential fashion statements in the royal wardrobe. Her famous look from a 1995 skiing holiday in Austria consists of a quarter-zip jumper layered over a turtleneck sweatshirt. These items were easy to find and sported unique designs in bold colours. Practical yet fashionable, her skiing outfits are a great representation of Gorpcore clothing. Who said you can’t look fashionable while getting outdoors?

A vintage store, which we were surprised to find stocked with many Gorpcore pieces, turned out to be the perfect place to look for a replica of this royal outfit. The prices weren’t always budget-friendly, but if you want ethical, well-loved pieces for your sustainable wardrobe, we couldn’t recommend vintage shopping enough. It’s always nice to know that the pieces you buy in a vintage store are more unique than anything you can find on the high street.

Layering in outdoor outfits not only looks good but can protect you from colder weather – an important consideration when you’re thinking about the best way to look good but stay practical. Adding a pair of round sunglasses for some UV protection also looks stylish.

While the vintage ski boots we found felt a bit less practical for outdoor wear (remember to buy carefully when opting for secondhand), they tied the outfit together and ultimately gave us a great replica. One thing’s for sure, if you’re looking for some Gorpcore inspiration, a vintage store is a good place to start.

Frank kicks back in Gorpcore

Recreating Frank Ocean’s 2019 Paris fashion week look initially did not seem like too much of a challenge.

I would say my everyday outfits (and sometimes even my best looks) definitely fit the relaxed image that Gorpcore presents, so I gravitate towards this style naturally anyway.

With all this considered, I believed that finding a yellow puffer, washed-out jeans and a winter beanie in a local vintage shop would be a breeze.

In a way, I was right: the wide range of Gorpcore pieces in the shop was overwhelming. Rails were stocked to the brim with North Face and Columbia puffer jackets, Dickies work trousers, Carhartt jeans, and endless waves of fleeces. However, the real problem was the sizes.

owned and flicked through a smorgasbord of different washes before stumbling across a perfectly-coloured pair of Carhartt jeans that looked well over ten

The only problem was that I’m a 36 waist, and the jeans were a 34. For the sake of saving myself another half an hour sifting through more jeans, I decided I could just suck in my gut for the photo opportunities. I

Finding a yellow jacket proved the easiest part of creating the look, mainly because the colour makes the jacket stand out like a local traffic warden. A twominute browse of the jacket rails resulted in finding the

The only issue with the jacket is that it lacked the ‘puffer’ quality of Frank Ocean’s snazzy Arc’teryx piece. To solve this, I complemented the North Face matched bodywarmer the advice from stylist I’d previously read article, “silhouettes are little looser and baggier, easier to layer pieces.”

To complete the look, I just needed a beanie. I knew I wouldn’t be able to completely match Frank Ocean’s Arc’teryx heavily patterned hat, so I The look was

Welsh photographer and videographer Daniel ‘Alfie’ Alford has always had an interest in the natural world. While studying geology and earth sciences at the University of South Wales, he took trips to photograph exciting locations such as Iceland and iconic landmarks like Mount Etna. Now he has built a career spanning 11 years, in which he freelances for publications such as National Geographic and Lonely Planet, and has travelled everywhere from Beinn Alligin in Scotland to the mountains of Kyrgyzstan.

How did you initially get into freelance photography?

I would go hiking in Scotland or Norway, take pictures and put them on Instagram. It wasn’t until my first job for Ernest Journal in Greenland that I realised you could do it as a career. From there I started pitching to magazines and building contacts.

How hard has it been getting your work featured by big brands like National Geographic?

It’s mostly about learning about what an editor wants from you. If you’re pitching to a magazine, showing that you understand the readership is the key thing. If you’re pitching stuff that you know would never be in the magazine, you’re wasting your own time.

Is having an online following important to you?

It certainly helps. I’m not too bothered about it though – it’s incentivedriven and you end up judging yourself on likes. An important question to ask is: who is my feed meant to look good for? Mine is meant to look good for editors, agents and art buyers.

How do you go about taking a landscape shot?

Wild camping is really the only way to do it. When I did the West Highland Way, I took all of my own food, camera gear and a tripod. I was just drinking water from streams. I also go to places where there’s going to be a good sunset. I’ll use Google Earth beforehand to simulate the sun coming up and down.

What’s the riskiest situation you’ve been in to get a photo?

I was on a mountain in Norway when the clouds all descended, and there was only 10 metres of visibility. I wandered off to find some water to cook with and by the time I found some, I turned around and I’d lost my tent – it took me almost an hour to find it. When I told my mum that story, she bought me some tent pegs that have LEDs in them!

Is getting outdoors beneficial for your mental health?

Yeah, it’s what pushed me into the career, in a way. All the trips I was doing were self-medicating. There are a lot of studies about natural rhythms (e.g. the rising and setting of the sun, tidal ebb and flow) and the positive influence they have on brain frequencies.

What’s the coolest place you’ve gone to on a job?

Probably Kyrgyzstan. We were looking for snow leopards around 4000 metres above sea level, camping in the snow for 10 days. There were wolf tracks coming through the camp and loads of bears around. We were horse riding through the mountains and crossing rivers. I didn’t know how to horse ride, so it was a bit of a baptism of fire!

Any advice for aspiring photographers?

You just have to keep practising. If you don’t take pictures of things you love, it’ll never come through. You have to really, really want it to the point where you’re not even thinking about it, you’re just doing it.

Words by: Almha Murphy

You give it a shot

Alfie’s Wild Camping Essentials:

1. One-man tent

2. Good sleeping bag

3. A raw mat (a camping mat designed to protect you from cold, wet and uneven ground)

4. Some freeze-dried food (food that requires water to rehydrate)

Camera of choice: Mirrorless Canon R5

Favourite photography spot in the UK: Assynt, Scotland

Wild camping safety tips:

1. Tell people where you’re going before setting off

2. Invest in good quality clothing and camping equipment

3. Use Ordnance Survey maps

What you need and what you don’t

First things first: you don’t need state-of-the-art equipment to start hiking. Don’t let the pole-wielding, high-vis-donning walking groups scare you off – there is more to hiking than looking the part.

To help with the essentials, we ask Rob from Cotswold Outdoor and Molly from Mountain Warehouse for their top tips and gear picks this spring. Shake off the gear fear and leave it at the door with our guide to your very first hike.

Footwear matters most

You will be spending most of your time crossing uneven terrain, so to avoid injury, make sure your ankles are supported. If you own boots you don’t mind getting muddy, then you’re good to go. Otherwise, any waterproof hiking boots will do the job. While they may be less breathable, waterproof boots are all-rounders for beginners on shorter hikes. “Basic quality walking boots will do you fine,” says Molly. She encourages people to try out hiking before investing in anything pricey, with good footwear being the most important bit of kit.

Tread is also something to consider

It’s the pattern on the sole of your footwear. The deeper the tread, the better grip you will have on uneven surfaces such as rocks and mud.

If you have a backpack at home, use it

So long as it has enough space for a jacket and some snacks, any bag will do. If you’re in the market for something new, Rob from Cotswold Outdoor recommends a Daylite bag by Osprey. They are lightweight and waterproof with enough room to fit in snacks, a water bottle, and any outer layers you take off. A 13-litre bag is plenty of space for your outdoor adventures.

Make sure to bring enough water

Any bottle will do. Pack snacks that won’t crumble in their packets such as jerky or our GORP mix on page 19.

If you are supplementing your hikes with other activities, be sure to pack your birdwatching binoculars or sketchpad and pencils. For navigation, as we found out last issue, you can see most smaller trails on Snapchat’s Snap Map. Now you know the basics, why not give it a try?