The days when looking stylish in winter meant enduring the cold are long gone. As we start gearing up for the cold season, outerwear powerhouse and gorpcore staple The North Face paired up with Japanese cult-favourite UNDERCOVER to design a collection that’s the epitome of streetwear-meets-high fashion. The “Soukuu” drop units UNDERCOVER masthead Jun Takahashi clean, minimalist and modern take on designing to The North Face’s classic peak performance gear, in a collection that overflows sophistication and an elegant functionality.
Featuring some of the latest technological innovations from The North Face’s research labs, this collaboration offers jackets, fleeces, and trousers suited for various occasions, activities, and weather conditions. Whether you’re heading for your next skiing trip or simply taking a stroll around central London in mid-November, you’ll find something to keep you covered. The pieces are available on both brands’ e-commerce platforms and select stores in major European capitals.
In this interview, we connected with David Whetstone, the Director of Global Collaborations at The North Face, to gain insight into the partnership, creative processes, and what customers can expect from this collaboration of giants.
Read the full interview…
How does it feel to have this collaboration almost out? How long has this been in the making?
It feels great! We’ve been working with UNDERCOVER on this project for almost two years. This is the most technical product we’ve created in our collaboration space. We’re working with many of the same technologies and constructions you can find in our Summit Series products, so the product creation schedule and calendar was extended.
How did you first get connected with UNDERCOVER and what was it about the brand that excited you?
We’ve been following UNDERCOVER for quite some time. We recognize it is a unique opportunity to work with a brand that holds a special position in the fashion / lifestyle space, and also holds a true passion for the outdoors. At The North Face, we make product that allows athletes to explore the edges of the world, and with that, layering systems, multi-function, and dual purpose use are key pillars of our brand. In studying Undercover, we were recognized these themes in their work as well. You can see it in SOUKUU especially with zip off sleeves and the fold up fishtail parka.
What was the collaborative process like?
The collaborative process was aligned to how we typically work. We thought about synergies we’ve seen in the two brands, then pulled together vintage and modern references across apparel, equipment, and footwear as well as examples of color and graphic inspiration from TNF over the years. These artifacts allowed us to have a dynamic conversation through sketching and prototyping to merge moments of our past, present, and Undercover’s DNA into something that feels familiar yet new for both brands.
In general, how do you decide what collaborations feel right for The North Face?
Generally, we are looking for partners that can push us, have a love for the outdoors, and a passion for exploration. Exploration is open for interpretation, and we welcome that. Ultimately, when engaging in the design process, we are very careful to find a 50/50 split in DNA with neither brand overshadowing the other.
To you, why is it important to connect with exciting brands in different subsets of the industry to create unique collaborative collections? How do these collaborations bring a fresh perspective to The North Face?
This goes back to “exploration.” Collaborations allow us to do things we wouldn’t normally. With UNDERCOVER, and by opening up to new silhouettes, along with color and material, we were able to challenge our own internal definitions of “technical” and “lifestyle.” Our “technical” innovations and constructions became a bit warmer through Undercover’s artistic language, and iconic “lifestyle” pieces were modernized by introducing best in class technologies in silhouettes we normally wouldn’t.
What are you most excited for your customers to see with this launch?
I’m most excited to see what customers do in the product. In working with UNDERCOVER we talked a lot about the idea of “a layering system for the city or nature,” and while that could feel nebulous, it’s very real. Layering systems are a huge part of our DNA, and we wanted to create a kit that allowed people to explore outside, whatever that means for them.
