{"id":9731,"date":"2023-02-12T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-12T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/?p=9731"},"modified":"2024-02-26T17:00:56","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T16:00:56","slug":"gore-tex-the-waterproof-membrane-fashion-and-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/gore-tex-the-waterproof-membrane-fashion-and-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Gore-Tex: the waterproof membrane that has infiltrated fashion and culture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Except for the very passionate or those who make a living from it, the bulk of ordinary mortals are oblivious to the raw materials and manufacturing methods of their favorite garments. No one cares much if those jeans are ‘selvedge’ or that shirt is made of Egyptian cotton. With perhaps one caveat: Gore-Tex. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This technology, discovered by pure chance and which has made its mark in the Arctic or in space, has gone from being a mere membrane that guarantees waterproofing and offers breathability to being a brand in its own right. But what is it about Gore-Tex that makes it the object of desire of graffiti writers and designers for their catwalks? Let’s take a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From basement to space: the birth of Gore-Tex<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The history of Gore-Tex<\/strong> is well known. Bob Gore<\/strong> spread the good things about polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) from the basement of his house. He found out that this material grew very quickly when it was heated, up to ten times its original size. This led to the discovery of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), which would eventually become what we know today as Gore-Tex. The key to this innovation was based on the breathability it provided. The pore size of ePTFE was smaller than that of a water molecule, so water vapor could pass through it without getting stuck in the material. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Bob Gore. Source: Gore-Tex<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Gore-Tex as we know it today went through several iterations and development processes over the decades. For example, in successive versions, a solution was found to one of the main initial problems: when dirt or soapy products became embedded in the pores of the polytetrafluoroethylene. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the use of Gore-Tex would move into the Textile industry (initially in jackets and, then, footwear), also developing its range of technical solutions and giving rise to the appearance of new technological iterations. Similarly, its use would be extended to industries such as aerospace and medical.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Gore-Tex fabrics proven in Antarctica. Source: Gore-Tex<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Japan and New York: outdoors, graffiti and rap<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are certainly two geographical points that are essential to understand the development of Gore-Tex. The first is Japan and the influence that the nihon country has had both in terms of fashion and in terms of the outdoors and the importance of the technical. We have to go back to the 1960s and 1970s, when illustrator Yasuhiko Kobayashi<\/strong> and editor Jir\u014d Ishikawa<\/strong> travelled to the United States and discovered the Whole Earth Catalog<\/em><\/strong>, a countercultural fanzine that (in addition to serving as a precursor of certain trends such as the new age) served to make the catalog style the predominant one in Japanese magazines and to imbue these authors with new trends linked to outdoor life, technical sports and workwear fashion. Today, the technical component is quintessential to understanding Japanese fashion, with publications such as Go Out<\/em> magazine<\/strong> making the point. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Cover of Whole Earth Catalogue<\/em>. Fuente: METALOCUS<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The other geographical enclave takes us to New York. The birthplace of rap<\/strong>, hip-hop<\/strong> and the birthplace of graffiti<\/strong>. With Gore-Tex (actually, with outdoor brands in general) something similar happened with the development of the Lo-life<\/strong> trend. New York is an inhospitable city: because of its size, because of its extreme climate even for a big city (especially cold in winter and with a tendency to snow or rain) and because of the predominant lifestyle in the city. Graffiti writers (and the same could be said of other role models in rap, such as drug dealers) have always had a preference for expensive, technical brands such as The North Face<\/strong> and Arc’teryx<\/strong>, because of the nature of their activity and the component of their day-to-day lives. Functionally, to beat the elements on their missions (where Gore-Tex is helpful) and for the construction of such garments (for example, The North Face Nuptse<\/strong> would be ideal for hiding stolen paint cans inside). But also spiritually. Because wearing a technical garment from brands like these was a sign of status. If you wore Arc’teryx, it was because you had stolen it. Within the halo associated with rocking certain brands, if the garment contained Gore-Tex it meant that it was more expensive and, therefore, more coveted.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Portada de New York Magazine<\/em>. Fuente: Google Books<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Hip-hop and rap, intrinsically linked to graffiti, have not been alien to this process. MCs, always wanting to take on trends and show street feeling in their lyrics, have helped Gore-Tex become more popular by introducing the term in their lyrics and rhymes. There are numerous cases we could cite: Big L<\/strong> (“Me and O.C. be in the Lex’, Cartier specs, Nautica sweats, Gore-Tex, with Presidentials on, full of baguettes”), Nas <\/strong>(“Spinach and steak, GORE-Tex boot print still on his face. It’s still on his face when we visit his wake”), Action Bronson<\/strong> (“Just for that sizzle, Gore-Tex in case of drizzle”)… Outdoor and hip-hop have not stopped their love affair, be it Mobb Deep<\/strong> starring in a campaign for Helly Hansen<\/strong>, or simply through the boom in the 90s and beyond of garments such as the Steep Tech jackets or the aforementioned Nuptse by The North Face. Today, prominent names in the New York rap underground such as the RRR <\/strong>crew are avid collectors of technical clothing and Gore-Tex and loyal ambassadors for the material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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