Within the history of streetwear in New York City, few labels carry as heavy a cultural weight as The North Face. Since the gear first took off in the streets during the ‘90s, the outdoor brand has become a part of an identity and history unique to the city. The iconic pieces and signature colors produced by the company defined the look of an era that is celebrated to this day, and documented within the pages of OUR WORLD, presented by Living Proof in collaboration with The North Face.
In 1964, The North Face was founded by 22-year old rock climber Douglas Tompkins, selling outdoor gear through mail order and small retail outlets. Though he had dropped out of high school and had no formal experience in clothing production, his innovative sleeping bag and tent designs resulted in the brand quickly gaining popularity. The company opened their first store in 1966 in San Francisco, just hours away from Yosemite Valley – home of the ‘Half Dome’ rock formation which the iconic North Face logo would be modelled after in 1971.
With the introduction of Gore-Tex fabric to the outerwear market in the late 70’s, The North Face looked for ways to utilize the breathable, waterproof material in their jackets and began to experiment with new designs. The brand utilized Gore-Tex in a few lesser-known releases, and in 1985 released the first iteration of the Mountain Jacket, a Gore-Tex outer shell produced in yellow and royal blue colorways. Initially engineered with hardcore outdoor enthusiasts in mind, the jacket has today become one of the label’s most iconic designs, forever intertwined with the history of streetwear in New York City.
Two years after the initial release of the Mountain Jacket, North Face sales manager Sally McCoy joined the 1987 Snowbird Everest Expedition. The trip was organized by a ski resort in Utah, with the hopes of being the first team with an American woman to reach the summit. Though the team encountered bad weather and was unsuccessful in completing their expedition, McCoy’s experience resulted in a number of developments for The North Face.
McCoy took note of the adjustments she made during the journey, recognizing the importance of layering during the expedition as the temperatures and environment changed. Upon her return from the trip, she was given a new role in design for the company and began to work on a line of outerwear that could zip into other pieces like the Mountain Jacket: The North Face Expedition System.
The Expedition System gave birth to a number of the brand’s most iconic pieces, including the Denali fleece in 1988, the Sagarmatha Expedition Parka in 1991, and the Nuptse puffer in 1992. The items were highly engineered and practical, and considered to be some of the best outerwear one could bring on an alpine expedition – a sentiment echoed by the hefty price tags the items carried.
In the same way that the technical aspects of outdoor gear were improving, the rising popularity of mountain sports saw athletes beginning to push the limits of performance, creating a demand for gear that could keep up with the wearer.
Often referred to as the “original freeskier,” Scot Schmidt was one of the early pioneers of skiing as an extreme sport, working frequently with prolific filmmaker Warren Miller. Schmidt was first sponsored by The North Face in 1983, when the company outfitted him in their Extreme Gear line for an upcoming stunt he was filming for TV. This initial sponsorship would mark the beginning of his relationship with the company which continues to this day.
In the following years, Schmidt continued to break new ground on the slopes. His accomplishments, often documented by Miller, pushed the sport forward as he conquered never-been-done lines and massive drops like the Palisades ridge at Squaw Valley – a run which earned the nickname “Shmidiots” after his feat. Eventually growing frustrated with the limitations of the gear which was available at the time, Schmidt set out to create a jacket that would meet his needs, enlisting the help of graphic designer Dave Wachs. Schmidt’s specifications included padding, functionally specific pockets, and Cordura fabric reinforcement, envisioning a meeting of mountain gear and hardened workwear which he later described as “Carhartt meets outerwear.”
In an exclusive interview with Tommy Rebel featured in OUR WORLD, Schmidt explains that The North Face was initially hesitant to release his designs, and things came to a standstill for a number of years. Eventually, the company moved forward with the collaboration and his athlete-designed Steep Tech line hit the racks in 1991. To the surprise of the company, who were wary of the high price point of the product, the Steep Tech line was an immediate success. Sales surged amongst outdoors enthusiasts who were attracted to the utility and functionality of the gear, a result that was perhaps less of a surprise to Schmidt, who had labored over every painstaking detail of his designs. What he couldn’t have expected was the impact that Steep Tech would have outside of the ski hills and year-round snow that his collection was built for.
“Fashion never really crossed my mind,” he later admitted to The North Face, in a video celebrating his 40th year with the company. “Our New York rep goes, ‘Scot, you won’t believe what’s happening, they’re wearing it on the street here.’ I fly to New York, I get in the car, we’re driving around Manhattan, and there’s a guy on the corner – full Steep Tech suit.”
In the same way the Lo Lifes of the 80’s took Ralph Lauren off department store racks and recontextualized it to their own settings and culture, the 90’s saw a new demographic embracing Gore-Tex and outdoor apparel. The North Face had incidentally created a new look for the streets, meeting at the crossroads of fashion and function for a growing culture that was outside during all seasons. The variety of bright colors their jackets came in – meant to assist with visibility in snow-covered mountain environments – could be paired with the flashy colors of a Ralph Lauren sweater or hat, and some sneakers to match. This concept, known as Outfit Architecture, was coined by Lo Life Dallas Penn.
By 1993, Steep Techs and Mountain Jackets were popping up on street corners and hip-hop music videos, and gear-obsessed youth across the five boroughs began to take notice. The jackets became coveted amongst boosters, and joined Polo as a key piece in the de facto uniform of a graffiti writer. Though the designs weren’t drawn up with graffiti in mind, the jackets were ideal to the urban writer, offering ample storage space and a cinchable waistband alongside protection from the cold and wet weather of late-night missions. Soon enough, a fresh North Face was considered a greater symbol of status in the towering mountain range of Manhattan’s cityscape than it would be in the nearby Adirondacks.
As the 90’s progressed, The North Face became permanently embedded in the cultural milieu of the city’s downtown scene. Graffiti crews like RFC and IRAK gained notoriety not only for their prolific work on the walls of the city, but for boosting thousands of dollars worth of Gore-Tex. Groups of youth covered in half-dome logos became an increasingly common sight in train lines, bars, and parties, becoming the signature look of a historic era captured in the photo collections of individuals like Tommy Rebel, Rabbit, and POST VSOP.
Today, The North Face still holds special significance for the city which the company has recognized and embraced. Since 2007, The North Face has released regular collaborations with Supreme, who have reimagined classic designs like the Nuptse as well as the Mountain Jacket, which at the time had been taken out of regular production. In more recent years, the company has returned the Mountain Jacket to their regular catalog, acknowledged their historic relationship with graffiti writers and Gore-Tex enthusiasts like Earsnot IRAK, and collaborated with other staple names of New York City including KAWS and Timberland.
This story was written by Eden DaSilva for the release of Our World. Now available on the Living Proof Patreon.
