An outdoor brand brings back its made-for-the-mountains classics for young consumers to up their streetwear game, writes Syida Lizta Amirul Ihsan
LIKE Patagonia and Columbia, The North Face is an outdoor brand trusted by hikers and mountaineers to get them through tough terrains and high altitudes. Ever since its establishment in 1966, the brand has made some of the best apparel and gear for athletes and explorers — offering them protection for all types of outdoor adventures.
Since the 1980s, the Icon collection was created to serve the needs of expeditions in the harshest regions of the world. Almost two decades later, when outdoor fashion has become a prominent feature on the fashion runways, the brand goes back in time to celebrate this line, updated for current customers.
Today, these products and styles still boast technical functionality but have been adopted by trendsetters who have helped make them much-loved icons of American street culture.
Malaysia recently released the reintroduced styles of the 1990 Mountain Jacket, 1996 Retro Nuptse Jacket, 1995 Retro Denali Jacket and 1978 Base Camp Duffel to reach out to all urban adventurers whose explorations go beyond nature — through music, art and culture.
FOR THE MOUNTAIN
From mountain summits to the city streets, the reintroduced 1990 Mountain Jacket is an enhanced replica of its original version from 1990. Bold, iconic blocking in red, yellow and blue are now a distinct visual identity that has become popular among today’s street-fashion lovers.
Introduced as part of an alpine system to protect climbers and mountaineers from extreme elements, the Mountain Jacket has become a standard for protective outerwear. This heavy-duty veteran is incredibly weather-proof and has been tested by athletes in many hostile environments over the years, including through Himalayan and polar expeditions.
RETHINKING FLEECE
Since it was first introduced in 1988, as a zip-in fleece to the Mountain Jacket, worn by pioneers Todd Skinner and Paul Piana on their first free ascent of the Salathe Wall in Yosemite, the Denali Jacket completely revolutionised technical fleece.
Perhaps no single piece of apparel represents authentic outdoor culture more completely than the Denali. Its iconic blocking and bold styling have since made it one of the most recognisable and coveted fleece jackets and since the 2000s, the Denali has been adopted as campus uniform across America.
Today, the 1995 Retro Denali Jacket follows the original iconic blocking and colour designs, with woven overlays on the collar, chest and back of yoke and sleeves, and is compatible with the Mountain Jacket.
Since it was first introduced in 1992, the Nuptse Jacket quickly became a part of every expedition around the world. Together with devoted outdoor travellers, the jacket witnessed some of the most challenging routes to be discovered and explored.
In the 1990s, New York’s booming street culture had become a new source of inspiration for the Nuptse Jacket. The excellent thermal performance and retro style was widely loved by trendsetters, while the hip-hop community made it a style statement.
Today, built for mountain- and city life to keep you warm and dry when it gets cold and wet, the Nuptse Jacket’s signatures include its boxy silhouette, original shiny ripstop fabric, iconic oversized panels, stowable hood and 700-fill goose down insulation.
BAG FOR THE OUTDOORS
The legendary Base Camp Duffel was originally designed in 1978 as hardwearing, soft luggage crafted from vinyl laminated fabric. It was equipped to be hauled by porters, yaks and camels to every region of the world.
Today, the 1978 Base Camp Duffel is made from wear-resistant ballistic nylon. The bag’s 50 litre-volume body is equipped with improved detachable, adjustable, alpine-cut shoulder straps and a thick carry bag handle, while a more ergonomic design minimises contortions.
The side-zip pockets are designed to store handy belongings such as a mobile phone and wallet while the D-zip opening has a weather-resistant zipper flap and the end-cap zippered compartment can store wet clothes, dirty shoes or extra gear without sacrificing volume.