GORP GIRLS PROFILE
Pioneering a Movement Built on Participation in the Outdoors.
GORP GIRLS PROFILE
*On the weekend of the 15th and 16th of October, The Hike Society by Columbia put on its first Annual General Hike (AGH) which saw them collaborate with outdoor communities across the UK to host a free hike in a location of the groups choice, ranging from the Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia and the Peak District. In total, more than 500 individuals participated over the weekend which saw people coming together from across the country to explore the outdoors and engage with like-minded people. In spite of the UK’s burgeoning outdoor movement, AGH fuels The Hike Society’s mission to unlock outdoor spaces for new and existing audiences who previously would have flown under the radar.*
Launched in March 2021, Gorp Girls, commandeered by Hannah Da Silva - a fashion college graduate and creative - has its sights set on encouraging women to experience the outdoors in a comfortable and safe environment.
As outdoor communities and platforms continue to pop up and flourish, it’s important to ensure there is equal representation for all genders and ethnicities and not just those who have traditionally dominated the space. As a young woman consuming media in this space, Da Silva began to wonder where all the women were, ‘I noticed that there were not a lot of women showcasing the outdoors community’, which isn’t to say that women weren’t partaking in outdoor activities, it was just grossly underrepresented at the time but the tide is starting to turn for the better.
Set up as an Instagram page, the platform sought to combine outdoor content with ‘Gorpcore’ style, a function-forward fashion trend recognised for its appropriation of technical silhouettes, fabrics and details. Beyond superficial clothing, Gorp Girls seeks to champion women in the outdoors by hosting activations such as community walks, climbing workshops and product field testing.
‘We started doing climbing workshops because we have so many girls who love climbing, indoor climbing, as well as outdoor, and there are girls that like to do bouldering as well. Also, we have loads of girls who really love to run and trail run so that's another area we want to cover and how to prepare for camping trips, as well. Our aim is to work as a kind of beginner workshop to get girls outside. There are loads of girls on a camp, they just don't really know where to start or who to go with.’
"GORP GIRLS’ FOUNDATIONS ARE BUILT ON INCLUSIVITY AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY"
‘We started doing climbing workshops because we have so many girls who love climbing, indoor climbing, as well as outdoor, and there are girls that like to do bouldering as well. Also, we have loads of girls who really love to run and trail run so that's another area we want to cover and how to prepare for camping trips, as well. Our aim is to work as a kind of beginner workshop to get girls outside. There are loads of girls on a camp, they just don't really know where to start or who to go with.’
"GORP GIRLS’ FOUNDATIONS ARE BUILT ON INCLUSIVITY AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY."
Intentionally so, Gorp Girls has established itself as an intermediary to encouraging women to take that first step into the outdoors by breaking down the barriers that lay before them. Gorp Girls’ foundations are built on inclusivity and a sense of community as Hannah explains, “We’ve had so much feedback from girls saying they haven’t just found people to go climbing and hiking with, they’ve also made new best friends.” Suffice it to say, GG is doing wonders where its motivation is concerned by making the outdoors an inviting place to people no matter their gender, ethnicity or background.
Despite only being founded a mere 18 months ago, Gorp Girls is the go-to for the female-focused outdoor community which has, in turn, welcomed brands who either enlist the collective for visual campaigns or for wear testing certain products.
Typically, you may think that wear testing is conducted in a lab, but Gorp Girls acknowledges the influence and expertise they can offer from a technical perspective by providing feedback from real-life wear. By tapping into a core group of women for their input, it means that functional clothing can actually begin to be designed with the female anatomy in mind without women having to opt for men’s styles for adequate protection when venturing outside.
As part of the Annual General Hike for 2022, Gorp Girls ventured up the highest peak in South Wales, Pen y Fan, in the Brecon Beacons which saw another great turnout alongside other groups up and down the UK.
FOLLOW GORP GIRLS VIA INSTAGRAM - @GORPGIRLS.
