Outdoor / Gorpcore
The North Face
Country
United States
Founded
1966
Brand Story
The North Face is an American outdoor recreation products company. The North Face produces outdoor clothing, footwear, and related equipment. Founded in 1968 to supply climbers, the company's logo draws inspiration from Half Dome, a distinct rock formation rising over 8,700 feet (2,700 m) above sea level in Yosemite National Park. By the late 1990s, the label had expanded beyond outdoor enthusiasts by focusing on street couture and since the 2000s it has been regarded mainly as a streetwear style symbol label. In 2000, it was bought by VF Corporation.
Timeline
- 1966
Founded as a climbing retail shop
Doug Tompkins and Susie Tompkins open the first store in San Francisco's North Beach.
- 1968
Manufacturing begins
Brand transitions from retail to product design — first technical mountaineering gear made in Berkeley.
- 1985
Steep Tech outerwear
Scot Schmidt-designed extreme skiing line introduces patchwork color blocking that becomes streetwear-coded.
- 2000
Acquired by VF Corporation
VF Corp acquires TNF for $25M, eventually scaling it to over $3B annual revenue.
- 2007
Supreme collaboration begins
First TNF × Supreme collab kickstarts the brand's streetwear era.
- 2020
Gucci collaboration
TNF × Gucci marks TNF's full crossover into luxury fashion.
