The North Face’s balancing act

I know you've noticed it, too Researched and written by Editorial Director Christopher Morency, our Special Report series takes a deep dive into the brands, people, and consumers that make youth culture tick. [The North Face]( is everywhere. We can’t seem to escape it. Roughly one in three people spotted in London’s Hyde Park this morning wore one of the brand’s puffers, anoraks, caps, bags, or shoes. It’s been a recurring theme over the past two months. But don’t take it from just me. On LYST — the platform used by 100 million shoppers annually — searches for The North Face have skyrocketed. This winter, searches were up by 243% compared to the same period a year earlier. To give a sense of this step-up, the increase over the same period a year before that was just 38%. The brand was so in demand, it topped LYST’s quarterly index of hottest products in the world . A BRAND FOR EVERYONE On the surface, we could credit the rise of the VF Corp-owned outerwear brand (also the owner of Supreme, Vans, Eastpak, and Dickies) to a surge in outdoor activities as a result of the pandemic, its latest Gucci collaboration, the mainstream embrace of the brand’s 1996 Nuptse bomber by celebrities like Kendal Jenner and A$AP Rocky, or even the plain workings of seasonality. But to narrow it down to these elements alone would discredit the bigger strategic efforts at play. In truth, we find a brand at the crux of becoming one of the most influential brands in youth culture today, and one that is mastering what it means to cleverly unite a fragmented customer base who individually have been drawn to the brand. To see another day means speaking to multiple communities at once, while still making them meet under the same umbrella. “There's definitely something happening; we're about to see that grow in a big way. There's a bigger opportunity to welcome more people to the brand.” (Kelly Cortina, Global VP of Product Merchandising & Development, The North Face) The North Face, similarly to Nike and Apple, has found itself in a unique position where different consumer groups have cultivated around the brand. It’s been that way since the '90s, when rappers and everyday folk embraced the brand’s attire, expanding its reach beyond those looking for performance apparel for climbing, skiing, and other outdoor pursuits. Back then, its “off mountain” strategy, as the brand calls it, wasn’t fully developed and represented a small part of the business. “Now, with everything gone gorpcore on one hand and Depop on the other, the brand can point to things like Prep School Gangsters, the Trans-Antarctic Expedition, and that famous Biggie x MA$E pic to say ‘we're authentic’ to almost everything in culture.” (Alex Rakestraw, writer and founder, [Coat Checking]( It’s evolving far beyond the outdoor professionals the brand once solely catered to. Identifiers from camping dads to VC bros to yummy mummies to TikTok stars to your grandmother’s walking club are creating their own attachment to the brand. Where the relationship with one group revolves around archive puffers, collaborations with Brain Dead and Gucci, and buying at luxury multi-brand retailers, the other praises the brand for the affordability of its footwear and accessibility. A BALANCING ACT For The North Face, the magic in keeping this up comes in the form of injecting just enough storytelling and magic into each group, without interfering too much. The people will create the buzz themselves. It simply needs to be fuelled at the right place, at the right time. “Everyone can wear it, but they can make it their own. There aren’t many brands that can do that.” (Dean Cook, menswear buying manager, Brown’s) There’s a lot more to it. In our new Special Report, we speak with executives within the company and follow experts to explain what brands, big or small, can learn from [The North Face's next move](. [READ THE FULL REPORT]( [SHOP THE NORTH FACE ON HIGHSNOBIETY]( • MORE FROM HIGHSNOBIETY [The North Face Adds New Aesthetics to its Archetypal Icons Collection]( [Here's How To Look Good On Your Spring Hike]( [We Pledge Allegiance To These Puffer Jackets]( [Nick Wooster On The Most Democratic Subculture in Fashion]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Snapchat]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Pinterest]( You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website: {EMAIL}. You can [unsubscribe from this list]( or [update your subscription preferences](. © 2021 Highsnobiety, Highsnobiety Genthiner Str. 32-34Berlin 10785 Germany [Add us to your address book](