North Face

Summary

The North Face- part of the VF Corporation- is one of the world’s largest apparel, footwear and accessories companies connecting people to the lifestyles, activities and experiences they cherish most through a family of iconic outdoor, active and workwear brands including Vans, The North Face, Timberland and Dickies. Founded in Berkeley CA in 1966 it has a long storied legacy of enabling exploration, loving and protecting wild places and creating iconic technically advanced products. At North face the core team believes that exploration is a mindset- both on the mountain and off the mountain- and it infuses everything they do. As a community of explorers, they stay curious about new ideas, places and people.

History

1966. San Francisco’s North Beach. It was here Douglas Tompkins and his wife Susie Tompkins opened a modest mountaineering retail store which became a hub for outdoor enthusiasts. They named it The North Face because the northern wall of a mountain in the Northern Hemisphere is the most formidable ascent. In two years, the couple launched Esprit and sold North Face to Kenneth “Hap” Klopp. The shop became acclaimed for climbing and backpacking gear and shifted base to Berkeley on the other side of the Bay.

Klopp was at the helm of the company for the next twenty years years. Shortly, Fifield took over. Through the Sixties, The North Face had a loyal following amongst outdoor enthusiasts and sponsored expeditions to remote parts of the world, a tradition that continues till date. By the Eighties, the brand added extreme skiwear to the product line and became the only supplier in the US to offer a comprehensive line of quality outerwear, skiwear, sleeping bags and tents. In the Nineties, The North Face launched Tekware™, a quality, functional collection for rock climbers, backpackers, hikers and trail runners. The North Face half-dome logo became visible at ultra-marathon courses, high-country trails and big walls on a regular basis and the brand launched its own line of trekking and trail-running shoes.

In 2000, The North Face was acquired by American worldwide apparel and footwear company  VF Corporation for reportedly $25.4 million and became a wholly owned subsidiary. While the brand continued to strengthen the outdoor market with product, expedition and athlete achievements, it also launched two pioneering product lines — Thermoball and Fuseform. Thermoball introduced synthetic insulation similar to down while Fuseform changed the way technical apparel is produced. Per Forbes, “North Face is an excellent example of a brand that’s standing behind its core beliefs. By acting on purpose, the outdoor apparel retailer is driving growth through impact.”

In 2020, “The world’s largest outdoor brand has committed to donating $7 million and joins with passionate experts across industries, including Lena Waithe, the Emmy Award-winning screenwriter, producer and actor… to help develop scalable solutions that addresses inequity in the outdoors and support access to exploration. Currently, communities of color are three times more likely to live in nature-deprived places, and often face racism and other systemic challenges when they do explore,” per Forbes.

Vision

The purpose of North Face is to power movements of sustainable and active lifestyles for the betterment of people and planet. Named after the most challenging side of the mountain.. The North Face has equipped explorers since 1966 to reach their dreams. Driven by the mantra of Never Stop Exploring, the team envisions to continually test the outer limits of performance and possibility.

Mission

To provide the best gear for athletes and modern day explorers, support the preservation of the outdoors, and inspire a global movement of exploration.

Products and Services

“The North Face”- which refers to the northern hemisphere of the mountains i.e. the coldest and most difficult to climb side of any peak- offers particularly resistant and quality products needed to tackle an adventure in such challenging terrain.

Leadership Team

Nicole Otto (Global Brand President)
Bracken Darrell (VF President and CEO)
Matt Pucket (VF Executive VP and CFO)

References

• Official website North Face
• Business booming for once-troubled North Face SF Gate
• Twitter account of North Face Twitter
• Backpacks: A new ‘badge’ of cool USA Today
• LinkedIn account of North Face LinkedIn
• How The North Face Took Over ’90s New York The Cut
• Youtube account of North Face Youtube
• Gucci’s collaboration with the North Face GQ
• Instagram account of North Face Instagram
• Brand history The North Face
• Wikipedia account of North Face Wikipedia
• How the Founder Went From High School Dropout to Millionaire Conservationist National Geographic
• The North Face and Gucci Pop-Up in NYC Harpers Bazaar
• Freewheeling early days of North Face GQ
• This North Face Collection Really Makes Us Wanna Go Outside GQ
• The North Face Unveils Global Retail Strategy PR Newswire
• North Face announces reset Forbes
• The North Face’s Epic 1966 Store Opening Men’s Journal
• How North Face builds movements Forbes
• North Face is suing South Butt SS Today