Gorpcore-Inspired Style Brings Wilderness Tattoos This Fall

Forbes Lifestyle Style & Beauty Gorpcore-Inspired Style Brings Wilderness Tattoos This Fall Nadja Sayej Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I write about the crossover between fashion and pop culture. Following Oct 27, 2023, 08:17pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A landscape tattoo of a waterfall in a forest by Sumok Tattoo sumok tattoo In case you haven’t heard, Gorpcore has taken over fashion this fall.

This wilderness-inspired fashion trend was first named after the abbreviation of a snack, good ol’ raisins and peanuts (also known as trail mix, a snack for the outdoors). This rugged activewear style, coined by journalist Jason Chen, is a camping-chic outdoors aesthetic , focusing on outdoorsy style that has exploded over the past year on TikTok . From puffer coats to fleece vests, Gorpcore has been around since the early 2010s, but has recently been worn by Bella Hadid and Kylie Jenner, amping up its popularity.

Expect to see more of this casual fashion style to hit the streets, like cargo pants, hiking boots and bucket hats—but with a luxury edge. But besides the city streets, where is the ideal place to wear Gorpcore fashion? The outdoors, of course. Naturally, the setting for Gorpcore is the wilderness, think of the Rocky Mountains or the Tongass National Forest.

One tattoo artist working in the realm of Gorpcore tattoos is Sumok Kim , who inks these lush landscapes in painstaking, black-and-white detail. It’s almost like having a woodsy postcard on your arm. A buck in the Rocky Mountains, surrounded by fall leaves and waterfalls, by Sumok Tattoo.

sumok tattoo MORE FOR YOU Some Of The Coolest Cities To Visit Right Now As Per New Polls Today’s ‘Connections’ Hints And Answers For Friday, October 27 Taylor Swift Drops Re Recorded 1989 In Ongoing Quest To Shake Off Corporate Control “I love animals and nature, it’s a refreshing break from our city lives,” says Kim. “Landscapes where you are free from the city are a key element to the work I do. I’m drawn to natural environments, and I truly enjoy describing the details of them.

” Kim, a multi award-winning tattoo artist, personifies the “getaway” tattoo, an escape from the bustling every day. He has inked towering pine trees, moonlit forests and cool, still lakes, and waterfalls. He has also inked wildlife, mossy rocks, and evergreens.

Landscape and wildlife tattoo artist, Sumok Tattoo. sumok tattoo Landscape tattoos are more than just a pleasant background. “When I draw, I take into consideration the overall perspective,” said Kim.

“I think having a waterfall and rocks as the artwork yourself, and then placing trees and mountains in the furthest background makes the full image more visually comfortable. I also love casting a light source in one direction, so the design is more realistic. ” His dark, black and white tattoo style fuses together what Kim calls “a mix of Eastern and Western influences.

” That includes the landscape art of Caspar David Friedrich or Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot from the west, or East Asian mountain paintings from the 1400s , or the landscape art of Mi Youren . A Gorpcore-inspired tattoo of a waterfall in a forest by Sumok Tattoo sumok tattoo His landscape art all started in his sketchbook, where Kim frequently draws the faces of wilderness animals, like wolves. “The face of the wolf has a lot of interesting details to draw, from compelling eyes to fur, and monochromatic contrast,” he says.

Wolf tattoos symbolize integrity, loyalty, strength, and a warrior spirit, so they’re in ripe demand. “I think most people want to protect their loved ones, wolves have been a popular subject for tattoos, year after year,” he says. It’s also a way to celebrate nature without destroying it.

“We need to raise our awareness on the importance of wildlife,” said Kim. A wolf under a full moon in the mountains by Sumok Tattoo sumok tattoo “We are continuously destroying nature, animals, and our air quality in order to make our lives more convenient,” he said. “We need to care more about things that may not visibly affect us, and realize that if these things collapse, we wouldn’t be able to survive either.

We should value and appreciate nature and the wilderness more than we do. ” Next up, Kim hopes to travel more and visit off-the-beaten-track places to tattoo. “I personally love visiting lesser-known places, it’s more fun to visit hidden places that we wouldn’t normally see—especially for solitude and solace with nature,” he says.

“That’s where the real magic happens. ” Check out @sumok_tattooer on Instagram. A cheetah in a forest tattoo by Sumok Tattoo sumok tattoo Tattoo artist Sumok Kim sumok tattoo Nadja Sayej Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.