The North Face – a company founded by the man who invented the first tent without a pole holding it up in the middle – continues to innovate, 60 years after it was founded. And this time there’s a Kiwi connection…
Written by FNZ Publisher Murray Bevan
New Zealand merino textile innovator Jeremy Moon founded Icebreaker in 1995, and sold the company to American gorpcore giants VF Corporation in 2017. Icebreaker was conceived and designed around the philosophy of sustainability, using natural fibres, environmental and social ethics, and animal welfare. The company began by specialising in the creation of merino base layers and now offers underwear, mid layers, outer wear, socks and accessories based on natural fibres.
As luck would have it, VF Corporation also owns such Americana icons as Timberland (see previous collab news) and The North Face, so it’s little surprise that two of the brands it owns have once again been coupled together in sustainable matrimony.
As the Icebreaker x The North Face press release so accurately states, this collaboration between the leading outdoor performance brand (TNF) and the pioneers of natural performance apparel (Icebreaker), marks a groundbreaking revolution in adventure wear. The collection is meticulously crafted with fabric made from 100% plastic-free fibres and includes products featuring a blend of merino wool and TENCELTM Lyocell, a fibre made of responsibly sourced wood pulp, that results in light and breathable adventure wear.
Featuring basics like a tee and polo, and culminating in a hoodie and even a dress, the Icebreaker x The North Face collection, with prices starting at NZD199.99, is the ultimate expression of outdoor sustainable fashion, allowing the wearer to slide from indoors to outdoors with ease. This has become a hallmark of any decent Gorpcore product recently, and it’s no surprise that this genre of modern fashion is fast becoming a larger part of our collective sartorial vernacular.
Shop the collection now, wherever you are in the world, at www.icebreaker.com.