The North Face x Gucci: Everything you need to know about the fashion collaboration we never knew we needed

The North Face has gained renewed popularity during 2020 as a streetwear favourite

(Gucci)

In what might just be one of the most unlikely fashion collaborations of the year, Gucci has partnered with The North Face to launch a limited collection comprising clothing, accessories, luggage, and shoes.

The luxury Italian label has also brought its idiosyncratic geek-chic aesthetic to the outerwear label through a selection of camping gear, including sleeping bags and tents.

The North Face x Gucci collection was predominantly inspired by the 1970s, which is when The North Face was a successful outdoor retailer based in Berkeley, California, as opposed to the global brand it is today.

As for the clothes, there are goose-feather down padded coats, skirts, shirts, and jumpsuits, all splashed with vibrant outdoors-inspired prints, such as florals as greenery.

Also on offer are quilted jackets, nylon shirts,  windbreakers, skirts and chemise dresses and a pair of sturdy gender-neutral hiking boots.

The newly created North Face x Gucci logo features prominently on most of the collection.

The logo is a hybrid of that the two brands’ individual ones and features The North Face’s three curved lines and Gucci’s famous green-red-green Web stripe.

The collection has also been created in line with a sustainability ethos. For example, the luggage contains ECONYL®— a nylon fabric sourced from regenerated materials, such as fish nets, carpets and other scraps.

To promote the collection, Gucci’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, has created a campaign video by Daniel Shea, set in the Alps. 

The video sees a group of Gucci-clad hikers making their way through a wooded area and camping by a lake.

The collaboration comes as The North Face has gained popularity among stylish Gen-Z TikTok stars and celebrities.

No longer reserved for camping trips and long hikes, The North Face has become a fashion brand in its own right, taking its cues from the normcore and athleisure trends that have emerged in recent years.

Gucci is not the first luxury label to pick up on The North Face’s recent renaissance. Earlier this year, MM6 Maison Margiela collaborated with The North Face to launch a series of 1990s-inspired fleeces and other outdoors garments.

One of the fleeces from the collection was spotted on Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber in recent Instagram posts.

Emily Ratajkowski and Jessica Biel are just some of the other famous faces to have recently been seen in The North Face.

The North Face x Gucci collection starts at £135 and will be sold from 4 January through distinctly designed stores and on gucci.com. In the UK, it will be sold exclusively at Selfridges in London until 30 January.