The Next Retail Investment Opportunity

Gorpcore is officially a trend for 2020. Unfamiliar with Gorpcore? It’s a preternatural enthusiasm for outdoor activities clothing. Here’s a good explainer from Grailed if you want to dive into the details.

The seeds of this movement started circa 2017, when I noticed Timberland boots started gaining traction among the more mainstream street style fashionista girls. That trend continues to ascend. These days, vintage Patagonia fleeces — especially the wild patterns from the 90s — and late 90s North Face puffers have been flying off the virtual shelves. Some have flocked to more niche brands like Snow Peak and Cotopaxi for performance gear that offer style and comfort. Among Gen Z, retiree shoes like Mephistos and Merrells are gaining popularity too. To seal the proverbial deal, the recently successful Gucci North Face collaboration proves that synergies are strong among subsets of both brands’ target audiences, a marriage of luxury and gorpcore.

Some of these brands belong to privately held corporations or trade on foreign exchanges. However, the easiest play here is VF Corp ($VFC) if you’re looking to capitalize on this trend ahead of mainstream investors. It’s still early days and I expect this trend to go strong the whole year, potentially hitting new highs during the 2021 holiday season.

Note: This is not financial advice.