Why is everyone obsessed with the Arc’teryx beanie? It's impossible to find though

It is rather unusual for a hat to become an it-item and even more unusual for an outdoorwear brand to be paired with a mini Chanel. Yet, it happened. Timothée Chalamet, just days before his big night at Saturday Night Live, was spotted walking the streets of New York in an all-pink ensemble (designed by Telfar and Chanel) paired with the Arc’teryx toque. To the untrained eye, the beanie may seem unremarkable, but it has become one of the most sought-after fashion items in recent years. Now (almost) impossible to find, sold out both online and in most stores, the toque has reached an allure comparable to any it-bag or it-shoe of the season. So much so that searching for “Arc’teryx beanie” on Vinted yields endless results (and, interestingly, almost all at a price lower than the original). So, why is everyone obsessed with this hat?

The first to introduce the Canadian outdoor brand to the vast majority of the public was Frank Ocean, who wore the beanie at the Louis Vuitton fashion show during Paris Fashion Week in 2019. A nearly monumental moment that, in effect, foreshadowed the rise of gorp-core. And precisely this functionality-driven aesthetic elevated Arc’teryx to cult brand status, leading to a surge in retail sales. Vogue Business reports that 2024 the brand recorded significant growth: Direct-to-consumer (DTC) revenues increased by 40%, reaching $449 million, while the wholesale channel grew by 2%, reaching $545 million. Not only that but last November, Amer Sports, the parent company of both Arc’teryx and Salomon, announced a 17% growth and total revenue of $1.35 billion. Among all the brands in the group, Arc’teryx was at the forefront of this expansion. The beanie has become an essential fashion symbol among millions of young men navigating major cities, using it as a status indicator. To the point that, on social media, it now enjoys such a strong following that it has become a meme in its own right: pages like @nolitadirtbag (136K followers) and @patheticfashion (153K followers) regularly post ironic content about the kind of person who would wear this hat. Nevertheless, according to the brand’s Chief Creative Officer, this phenomenon was entirely unexpected: “We’re not a brand built on trends. We’ve been making the same type of technical product for 35 years. But it’s interesting to see how we’re transcending beyond the mountain.”

And this very transition could prove to be a double-edged sword. In the social media era, where trend cycles move at lightning speed, becoming too popular can lead to backlash. What was once considered cool, when adopted by too many people, risks turning into a symbol of something overexposed. Not just ideologically but practically, too: according to a sales associate from the brand, approximately 90% of the Arc’teryx beanies seen around are dupes, as the brand’s production cannot keep up with demand. The debate remains open: with his entirely pink outfit and Arc’teryx beanie, did Timothée Chalamet mark the end of the brand’s gorpcore coolness, or did he help evolve its aesthetic even further? “The style from Frank Ocean’s photo compared to Timothée’s is very different,” said Mark Boutilier to The New York Times, highlighting a clear transition from Ocean’s strictly technical aesthetic to Chalamet’s reinterpretation more aligned with the Y2K aesthetic. However, this aesthetic shift is just the tip of the iceberg. Despite its growing urban appeal, Arc’teryx was not designed for fashion insiders and has no intention of altering its DNA. Stuart Haselden, the brand’s CEO, told Vogue Business that he believes Arc’teryx can continue to attract consumers without chasing them directly because it is precisely the brand’s authenticity and strong ties to the mountain and outdoor world that make it so desirable—even for those who don’t actually use it for its technical function. In short, the Arc’teryx toque embodies how workwear is becoming the new streetwear, proving that even in the wardrobes of today’s biggest stars, a $45 beanie is a must-have.