Gone are the days when outdoor pieces were purely utilitarian. Today, functional fashion is no longer reserved for remote trails—it’s dominating fashion week runways and making its way into our closets all year round because naturally, as city dwellers embrace outdoor lifestyles, their clothes follow suit.
With nearly 50 years of redefining performance and style, Oakley is often credited with pioneering the gorpcore trend—blending high performance with a dash of avant-garde imagination. From early models like the EyeJacket and Over The Top sunglasses, to its latest Plantaris design—it’s clear that functional hyper-futurism is indeed Oakley’s thing. Its latest collection, ‘Born to Rewild’ pushes this forward, blurring the line between fashion accessories and performance gear through an evolving trend we’re calling morphism—the next generation of gorpcore.
What if design could evolve, breathe, and transform, merging the worlds of nature and tech? Welcome to the world of morphism, where fluidity and transformation reign sovereign. It’s the idea that a style shouldn’t just function, but adapt and evolve with the wearer, responding to both the natural environment and human movement. As for Oakley, the brand will do what it does best and continue to lead the charge in this space.
Diving deeper into Plantaris, the eyewear model reimagines Y2K-era sporty silhouettes with a futuristic twist, featuring modular designs and ergonomic shapes inspired by the natural world. Imagine the branching patterns of a tree elongating by your temples with the shape of a frog’s legs. Pair that with the Latitude Flex Vest, a piece of armor blending function and form with organic aesthetics and urban utility, and you’ve got a fit ready to take on the unpredictability of both nature and the city with equal finesse.
Oakley’s use of innovative materials and flexible engineering, ensuring lightweight, breathable, yet seriously tough pieces. It’s that kind of gear that feels alive—constantly shifting to meet the demands of modern living. Copy that.
With morphism at the forefront of this new era of gorpcore, Oakley’s Born to Rewild collection isn’t just about functional fashion, rather a step towards a future where the boundary between technology and the natural world is beautifully blurred, creating designs that feel as alive and adaptive as the environment they’re meant for.
Heads up: The Plantaris eyewear shown here is a computer generated image made exclusively for Highsnobiety. While you won’t find these exact styles for sale, you can still cop the original Plantaris design over at oakley.com
Discover more about Oakley’s Born to Rewild collection on oakley.com and @oakley.
FULL CREDITS
Photography & Production: Lacuna Studios
Senior Creative/Art Director: Liv Wigley
Associate Creative Director: Mariel Bulaong
Producer: Simone Dautel
Photo Assistant/Light Op: Jozefien Van Der Aelst
Light Op/Digi Op: Luca Vinzenzo
Stylist: Brian Placide
MUA: Naomi Gugler
Hair: Ruby Howes
Account Manager: Jazmin Cifuentes
Talent: Sooyoung via Neu Casting
Talent: Mamau via Izaio
CGI: Artist: Joep Truijen
Retouch: Danny Faria
Photography & Production: @lacuna.studios
Senior Creative/Art Director: @livwigley
Associate Creative Director: @marielshmariel
Producer: @simidau
Photo Assistant/Light Op: @jozefinevda
Light Op/Digi Op: @lucavincenzo_
Stylist: @brianplacide
MUA @naomzz
Hair: @rubyhowes
Account Manager: @pr3tty.bug
Talent: @sooyoungjean via @neu_casting
Talent: @mamau.b10 via @izaio.modelmanagement
CGI: Artist: @joep_truijen
Retouch: @dannyfariiia (edited)