The Line Between Skiwear and Streetwear Is Increasingly Blurry
On first impressions, JJJJOUND and Descente’s collection, released on December 12, is nothing out of the ordinary.
Technical puffer jackets, balaclavas, and moisture-wicking tops, all dressed in a minimal pale blue and gray color scheme, JJJJOUND x Descente is exactly the type of stylish outdoor gear we’ve come acclimatized to. It’s a genre of clothing so omnipresent it has gotten a catchy nickname, peddled in the fashion industry for the last few years: gorpcore.
However, JJJJOUND’s techy new drop is different from your typical functional fashion collection: Descente is a top-of-the-range ski-wear producer (its logo is three important skills in skiing), making this collaboration one designed to be worn while hurtling down a mountain with two long blades strapped to either foot.
And it’s the second notable collaboration hitting the slopes this week. Two days prior, on December 10, SKIMS launched its first link-up with The North Face.
Skims x TNF offered a wider range of ski gear (full bodysuits and three different types of pants were included) and the muted color tones were all shades of brown and cream, however, the premise was the same: this is utilitarian ski gear designed to look clean and minimal.
JJJOUND, the Montreal-based design studio bringing minimalism to streetwear, and Kim Kardashian’s brand have inadvertently filled a similar niche in the same week. And it's indicative of a wider trend.
Gorpcore is continuing to change and mutate with a new focus being put on ski and snowboard gear. This isn’t clothing made to look outdoorsy, it’s genuine mountain sports equipment.
The streetwear OG Stüssy has been focusing its attention on snowboarding through a continued collaboration with Mountain Hardwear, even creating a short snowboard film to go with the clothing.
Meanwhile, Palace and Oakley’s collaboration in November included a full snowboarding uniform (down to the helmet and goggles) along with a co-branded snowboard. Supreme, arguably Palace’s biggest competitor, also released a snowboard last year, however, nothing similar has arrived in 2024.
Even the luxury brands that create ski collections year after year are bringing a slight streetwear flavor to their offerings.
Winter sports, especially snowboarding, have always had a relationship with streetwear. In the late ‘90s and early naughts, snowboard labels launched offshoot collections — most notably Burton, which had sublines with Hiroshi Fujiwara and ACRONYM's Errolson Hugh — catering to a similar crowd to what something like Stüssy x Mountain Hardwear does today.
Streetwear brands being interested in skiing and snowboarding isn’t anything new. However, the rise of gorpcore has reinvigorated the crossover between these two worlds.
