Going Gothcore

The Rise of Gothcore

25th March 2022

After months of twee floral prints, fashion has officially gone to the dark side.

“Gothcore” is on the rise and it’s a mix of leather, lace and plaid, inspired by famous rockstar relationships and ‘goth princesses’ like 18 year-old singer, Olivia Rodrigo.

Essentially, dressing like a sexy vampire is now cool. Combining elements of punk, grunge and emo, it’s no wonder this subculture has evolved. Throughout the pandemic, we have been bombarded with news of death and mortality.

Darker dressing is a direct reflection of the mood of the world – and is the exact opposite of the preened and photoshopped influencer images found on social media.

The goth aesthetic has a standoffish approach, it’s a rejection of social norms with a rebellious streak.

But unlike the gothic metal following of the nineties, the 2022 version takes it to a more glamorous level.

Take, for example, Transformers actor Megan Fox.

Her recent engagement to musician Machine Gun Kelly involved the couple celebrating by drinking vials of each other’s blood. And her engagement ring has thorns in it making it extremely painful to take off.

While we can’t recommend drinking bodily fluids or accessories that bring you pain, we can recommend their style.

Megan’s red carpet looks have included delicate lace, bold cut-outs and see-through mesh fabric, while MGK combines sequins with leather and chunky jewellery.

The two have a seductive dress sense; they know they look sexy while seemingly not caring what anyone else thinks.

And it’s not just top-to-toe black, either. Red and white feature heavily in the couple’s wardrobes.

Catherine Spooner, a professor at Lancaster University who specialises in goth culture, told The Guardian: “At one point there was an idea goth was ‘strange and unusual’, but it doesn’t feel that way anymore. I wouldn’t like to say it’s mainstream, but it’s much more visible.”

The clothing resale app Depop has reported a 20% increase in “goth” and “gothcore” searches over the past three months, while fashion search engine Lyst has seen searches for patent leather platform boots rise by 71 % and black leather coats by 25% in the last two months.

Design houses such as Rik Owens and Mugler have long been championing the gothcore look and Givenchy is also a key player in achieving the new wave of deconstructed dressing.

And while a Kardashian wouldn’t naturally spring to mind when discussing a fashion genre that isn’t mainstream, it’s the eldest sister Kourtney who has embraced the trend.

Now engaged to heavily tattooed rockstar Travis Barker, the couple are regularly seen in oversized leather jackets with skull patches, PVC corsets and chokers.

Casey Cadwaller, the Creative Director of Mugler, told the Evening Standard: “I have an openness towards what it means to be sexy… We’re here for the bold. You’re either with it or you’re not.”

And we’re most definitely with it.