Why is Everyone Obsessed With North Face Jackets?

As someone who was born in Southeast London, the North Face Puffer Jacket, otherwise known as the Nuptse Jacket, was the norm for most of my teenage years. At the time, the coat was a-lot cheaper than it is now, (still ridiculously expensive at the time,) with most individuals wearing it for its rich material and consistency in keeping the wearer warm during the winter cold. In-doing so, the jacket has become over the years a nostalgic memory of public school. Memories include most of my friends showcasing the inside of their puffer coats with vape pens and doughnuts that they were selling away from the eyes of teachers. An early entrepreneur enterprise for those willing to risk suspension. In a space where presenting gender was interlinked with your social status at school, these coats where a tool to explore the gender-neutral and, without any of us knowing, a way in which we blended as a community of angsty teens.

This isn’t an effort to gatekeep the coats themselves, but a testament to the way these coats have never really gone out of fashion. The Nuptse Jacket has always been worn by people all around the world, always contributing to the continued expansion of street wear as a popular sector of fashion. These coats have never changed, or, if anything, have grown in popularity at rates unprecedented, continuing to be worn despite the main demographic growing in age. What was once a garment that was prioritized for its functionality, now is one of the most infamous coats of a generation. How has it become this way?

A Small Glimpse Into The North Face

The North Face originally started in 1966 as a small retail store, founded by two hiking enthusiasts Susie and Douglas Tompkins in San Francisco who wanted to follow their passion in outerwear and mountain gear. Within two years, the brand moved from one side of San Francisco Bay to the other, designing and manufacturing its own brand with technical equipment and apparel merchandise while building a community of avid outdoor athletes. In the 80’s, it tailored apparel and equipment towards the skiing world, and then in the 90s, Tekware, which introduced rock climbing, backpackers, hikers and general outdoor enthusiasts to the fold.

Known as the golden era for the brand, The North Face released their coat collections including the Nuptse Jacket in the 90s, which solidified a following the moment it launched. In major cities like New York, the public were found wearing their new purchases out with pride, with their favourite rappers and singers wearing it at their concerts. During this time, they brought out 8 different coloured jackets, all of them praised for their technical design, quality and fashionable flair. This introduced Boosting, otherwise known as shop lighting, into the mix of New York graffiti writers who were already known for stealing spray paint since the subway era of the 1970s. This now included expensive garments and pieces, including the Nuptse jacket. Spray paint boosters would utilise their jackets by manipulating the space in their jackets that could fit stolen cans, a luxurious risk that started the companies roots in streetwear apparel.  

Collaborations

Now, the company is closely associated with streetwear, even more than just outerwear or mountain gear. Globally, the brand has taken the fashion industry by storm, all through the usage and manipulation of collaborations including major streetwear houses Supreme and Sacai. Every year, Supreme has collaborated with The North Face, creating leopard-print, multi-coloured maps, and gang-inspired bandana prints, all in a Supreme typical fashion. As part of Supreme’s collections, there are clear homages towards the North Faces expertise in gear design, solidifying the North Faces continued journey into streetwear as a pivotal player in the sub-communities identity. Puffer coats today continue to be heavily inspired by the Nuptse Jacket, almost in an ironic fashion due to its clear misinterpretations from wearers – no one is wearing it for mountain climbing anymore.

Fast forward to now, and everyone is wearing The North Face. In the streets of London, vintage shoppers and subsequent gentrifiers wear the Nuptse Jacket, incorporating streetwear aesthetics with their flared pants and doc martens in major cities all around the world. The brands ability to popularise its clothing while staying true to the brands original ethos showcases the versatility these garments have, consenting to the continued overexposure (or successful adventure) into its original design. The appetite for fashion buyers to purchase a North Face Jacket continues to grow and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. With the brand catering to a mass audience in design due to its ability to stay gender neutral, virtually anyone can see someone who looks like them wearing one of the jackets. Even though Tompkin continues to make ad campaigns that focus on the original demographic of outdoor enthusiasts, the subcultural implications the brand has solidified through its exploration of streetwear continues to bring in demand. The brand doesn’t want to look like its changing; and frankly, it never has. The North Face are just masters of ubiquity, and now, it’s deservingly everywhere.

The 90’s Craze Continues

The predictions around the 90s nostalgic demand didn’t expect to last this long, but seemingly the pandemic has prolonged the mania. For a couple of years, the need from the public to wear garments reminiscent of the 90s infiltrated the internet, propelling companies like Depop to explode financially. Old Nike hoodies and corsets boomed from popular demand, with the North Face joining in as part of the 90s-mania. Even though the North Face continues to make additions of the Nuptse Jacket lineup, seemingly the nostalgia from the 90s continues in the garments. It isn’t about wearing the most updated version of the jacket, but more the design implemented on the garment itself. Seemingly, The logo has become more important than the time it was created, even though the main selling point is its era.

The North Face continues to be a brand that needs to be studied for its consistency. As a brand, it has continued to stay in the limelight of the fashion industry due to its design alone, making simplicity key in the longevity of fashion exploration and selling. Hopefully we will continue to see more collaborations from the brand, giving reason as to why it is so successful outside the realm of the 90s-mania. We will see if it truly outlasts the hype, but seemingly it seems to have already answered that question. The North Face continues to be the image associated with puffer coats and jackets, and unsurprisingly, is in competition with itself, alone.

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