The North Face gets chic with Urban Exploration

By

Olivier Guyot

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Jul 26, 2016

Last year, The North Face tested 'Unlimited' in Japan. It was a line which applied the label's tech know-how to chic, urban apparel. The US brand seems to have learned from the experience, presenting a line called 'Urban Exploration', already available in Asia, which has perfected the relationship between outdoor tech-wear and urban apparel.

'Urban Exploration' stems from a refashioning of The North Face's range. The operation was announced by the management of VF Corp., the outdoor brand's owner, and will be manifest towards the end of the year in the USA. "You will begin to see it take shape in autumn 2016, but it will be truly operational in 2017, explained the US group's COO, Steven Rendle, at a meeting with financial analysts. If you will visit San Francisco in the near future, [you will see that] our Palo Alto and Post Street stores have been redesigned based on our four brand landscapes."

The North Face has developed a new store concept, putting a premium on customer experience, notably via virtual reality, and showcasing these four brand domains.

"We are able to sell at higher prices, something you will appreciate at these new stores, underlined the top manager. But what you will also see is a well thought-out segmentation covering key pricepoints in categories that are crucial for our worldwide network of distribution partners."

The 'Mountain Sports' tech range focuses on outdoor activities. 'Mountain Culture' apparel can double up as urban wear. And 'Mountain Athletics', launched last year, is targeted to training. 'Urban Exploration' is the fourth brand domain, featuring items combining fashion and tech-wear with a deliberately Asian inspiration, and adding footwear and backpacks to the apparel range. The line is already available in two stores, in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

The North Face is one of VF Corp.'s leading brands. In the last quarter, closed at the end of June, the brand reported a 2% rise in revenue compared to the previous year.