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Transcending cultural boundaries:

How GORE-TEX and streetwear are linked

A deep dive into GORE-TEX by Document Studios for SNS Illustrations by Gangbox

What does Nike ACG Mountain Fly sneakers, Stüssy shell pants and Arc’teryx Beta LT jackets have in common? They’re all ubiquitous pieces, part of a modern 21st century wardrobe, loved throughout street culture for their functionality and design – but take them apart and investigate why that is and you’ll find there is another red thread bringing them together: all three are equipped with state-of-the-art GORE-TEX technology. But how did the coincidental invention of a microporous fabric become such a symbol of street culture and a signifier of quality and status? We’ll get back to you on that one.

For those unfamiliar with GORE-TEX technology, it’s a fabric that came about somewhat unexpectedly. Whilst experimenting with certain fabrics and chemical compounds in 1969, Bob Gore discovered that by rapidly heating Polytetrafluoroethylene under specific conditions it expanded by nearly 1000% and created a microporous structure which, at first, would be coined ePTFE and later would receive a more commercially viable name: GORE-TEX.

In layman’s terms, it’s a fabric with billions of pores smaller than water droplets, forming a waterproof but breathable layer that would revolutionise fabric technology forever: the material is effectively breathing as moisture is unable to permeate through the outer barrier, but water vapour is able to escape.

Today, the development of waterproof and breathable capabilities is intensely contested, it’s a lucrative market to break into - so what are the competitors missing that GORE-TEX dangles over their head like a carrot to a donkey? There are certain attributions that can be pinned to GORE-TEX’s reputation and its ability to maintain them for over four decades. While it’s far more complex than a handful of factors, a couple stand out to me: the rigorous testing they put a product that uses their technology through, refusing to stand by a sub-par garment, and how it has organically grown into a symbol of status, worn like a badge of honour in certain circles.

For outsiders it may seem like a farfetched link, but GORE-TEX and street culture/streetwear are intrinsically linked in a multitude of ways. The name does more than describe the technology - it’s a stamp of approval that people flock towards. Products that use Gore’s proprietary technology, GORE-TEX, bear the ‘Guaranteed To Keep You Dry’ sentiment but, over time, this has transcended beyond its once destined purpose.

A Gangbox illustration for A deep dive into GORE-TEX at SNS

With GORE-TEX established in a function-focused environment whereby extreme conditions call for technical garment technology, it would go on to be adopted by street culture and the wider streetwear community as a symbol of prestige. In the early years, it was a case of, ‘If you know, you know,’ but with ongoing co-signs and projects with iconic brands like Adidas, Arc’teryx and Salomon, the technology has been firmly implanted in the minds of young people who fly the flag for street culture – past, present, and future.

There are plenty of brands and famous individuals sporting GORE-TEX, but whether it’s the aforementioned brands, the late actor Robin Williams or Drake, the artist, GORE-TEX has never gone out of its way to seek approval or collaboration with such public figures, instead, they have let their reputation lead the way in an organic sense - a true sign of the company's integrity, only bolstered by their rigorous testing of the products that seek to use their technology.

From a pop-cultural point of view, GORE-TEX became associated with rap and hip-hop in the 1990s, often featuring in lyrics from artists like Nas, Lauryn Hill and Raekwon – as identified by legendary writer Gary Warnett in his ‘A Tribute To GORE-TEX’ feature. In his ‘Fall Back’ track from 2000, Big L spat: ‘I cruise in a GS Lex, Cartier specs/Nautica sweats with the fresh GORE-TEX’, proving that a punchy and hard-hitting bar from a name like that was enough to imprint the fabric into the minds of a generation of youngsters which would trickle down for years to come.

With such history behind them, it's hard to rattle 40 plus years of solid reputation which is why, in 2022, GORE-TEX remains unscathed as their adoption creeps further into popular culture whether it’s in a digital or physical capacity. On a regular basis, we see individuals like Patrick Stangbye and 114.Index putting GORE-TEX technology through its paces in varying environments, pushing it to its limit and capabilities in physical settings. In contrast, Instagram mood board pages like Way Out Cache and Organiclab.zip preserve cultural artefacts like vintage magazine articles and old school GORE-TEX windbreakers that look to the past whilst staying rooted in the present. And it remains an occasional gem that is dropped into a verse for added value, like Action Bronson guesting ‘Just for that sizzle, GORE-TEX in case of drizzle’ on Mac Miller’s ‘Red Dot Music’ track.

As GORE-TEX is solidified in the present, what does the future hold from a functional perspective and how will the cultural bias towards it grow? One thing that is for certain is that we will see GORE-TEX continuously be pushed to the limit in terms of what it can achieve performance-wise by, for example, substantially reducing its weight without compromising on either waterproofing or breathability. If it continues to be a force-to-be-reckoned with on the functional side of things, then it’s likely that its adoption by the above crowds and circles will remain unscathed - viva la GORE-TEX.

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