A certain accessory stood out to me at Balenciaga’s runway show on Sunday: the lanyard.

There were many ridiculous shapes and contraptions at the show: giant puffy jackets reminiscent of Kanye West and Lil Pump’s absurd suits in their “I Love It” music video, ballgowns that looked like regal jellyfish dressed up for a Christmastime opera. But the item that stood out to me the most was the lanyard.

I sent a picture of it to resident Stranger poet Rich Smith. He responded, “…Corpcore?”

And a new style was born!

“Corpcore,” of course, would be short for corporate-core.

First came the normcore. Then there was the gorpcore. Somewhere along the way dadcore came and went. And now there is corpcore.

Corpcore takes the foundation of gorpcore—“fleece vests, colourful, too-big puffer jackets, durable raincoats, all-waterproof-everything, velcro accessories, velcro on your feet, socks and sandals, bumbags, un-ironic and useful outdoor wear”—but adds the accessories of power. In Seattle, that would mean the Amazon lanyard.

Quick! Steal the lanyard! Its precious corpcore.
Quick! Steal the lanyard! It’s precious corpcore. Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images

If the Amazon lanyard is the new symbol of power in Seattle, why not really flex? Deck your neck with Google, Facebook, Tableau, Rover, Porch, Microsoft, Expedia, WeWork. Walk like you have the codes to every private meeting room in town. Parody that nouveau riche Amazon style. When you strut through South Lake Union with every Big Tech lanyard you’ll show those boys you’re above that non-compete clause.

It’s the style of domination.

Chase Burns is The Stranger's former editor. He's covered everything from gay luchadores to chemical weapons to Isabella Rossellini's favorite pets.