Have you got your hands on a piece of the new The North Face x Gucci collection yet? Already one of 2021’s most unexpected collaborations, trekking gear just got a serious upgrade and it’s all anybody can talk about.
To celebrate the exciting partnership between the two brands, Gucci has enlisted artist Sean Vegezzi to create a documentary on the journey of the collection, highlighting his passion for the great outdoors in the process.
While it’s clear each brand sought to infuse their own influences into the project, the outcome is an organic melting of minds. “The goal is to expose people from the other set to a new idea and a new… way of thinking,” explains David Whetstone, design manager for global collaborations, archives and special projects at The North Face, in the clip.
Not only does the video reveal the design and production processes that forged the collection, as well conversations with Gucci’s creative director Alessando Michele and the North Face design manager global collaborations, archives and special projects, David Whetstone, we are also treated to insights from the design team, product developers and skilled craftsmen.
The journey takes us through the Dolomites to the Sierra Nevada in California, documenting everything from the creation and production process in the factories to the underground history of how The North Face got adopted in major cities, while discussing the cultural figures who contributed to The North Face’s popularity. “It’s a culture of creation in a garment itself,” says pro climber Nina Williams. “These clothes are beautiful, these clothes are capable,” Whetstone affirms.
As for The North Face x Gucci collection itself, think menswear and womenswear – plus the outdoor recreation pieces such as tents and sleeping bags – that is a logo lover’s dream. The North Face adapted its quarter-circle stamp to include Gucci’s green and red stripe, which is splashed all over padded coats, quilted jackets and windbreakers, realised in ‘70s-inspired colourways. There are also skirts, shirts, co-ords and sweaters in feminine floral prints that we can’t wait to get our hands on.
