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Maybe the most surprising thing about The North Face’s new collaboration with New York-based menswear label Aimé Leon Dore is that it took this long to happen.
The two brands — each with strong, and often overlapping, followings in New York streetwear and menswear circles — on Thursday unveiled a 15-piece collection that blends Aimé Leon Dore’s luxurious twist on ‘90s New York City aesthetics with The North Face’s performance-focused silhouettes.
It’s a partnership that resonates personally with Aimé Leon Dore’s founder, Teddy Santis, who told The Business of Fashion in an exclusive interview that the brand aspires to develop a lasting relationship with the heritage outdoor label. Santis said that Aimé Leon Dore is strategic about its collaborations, which are not only commercially successful but have led to significant tie-ups with brands such as New Balance where Santis has served as the creative director of its “Made in USA” line since 2021.
“If you look at our partnership with Porsche and with New Balance, these are real [long-term] partnerships, and we’re hoping The North Face becomes that for us as well,” said Santis. “Right now, we’re obviously focused on this first project and we have a lot to prove internally to ourselves with it.”
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Together, the brands are re-interpreting some of The North Face apparel that defined Santis’ own upbringing as a New Yorker in the ‘90s, such as the Nuptse puffer jacket, which he remembers first purchasing from a Dr. Jays in Astoria, Queens in 1997. Aimé Leon Dore’s take exchanges the Nuptse’s typical nylon outer for the Italian Casentino wool that’s been present in the label’s menswear collections since it launched in 2014.
David Whetstone, The North Face’s director of global collaborations and energy, said the collaboration homes in on what he dubs “icon distortion” by changing one key detail of some of the outdoor brand’s most recognisable products to create something new that’s functional but also attractive to a lifestyle customer.
That approach has led The North Face to create its first-ever all-nylon Denali, which strips away the jacket’s familiar fleece to create a light windproof garment that still maintains the Denali’s colorblocking, pit-zips, and welt pockets. The garment doesn’t only marry the aesthetic of both partners but also speaks towards an opportunity for spring and summer lifestyle products that VF Corp. chief executive Bracken Darrell believes the outdoor brand can home in on when aspiring to double its revenue during its most recent earnings call. The North Face currently plays an outsized role in VF Corp’s portfolio because its return to growth in recent quarters have offset declines by struggling brands within its roster such as Vans and Dickie’s. Within the most recent fiscal year that ended in March, The North Face’s revenue grew by 1 percent to $3.7 billion.
Whetstone said it’s too early to determine if Aimé Leon Dore’s partnership with The North Face will be recurring or if something like an all-nylon Denali will be incorporated into its broader product offerings. Generally, he said the aim of collaborations is to bring more attention to The North Face’s core assortment. So despite being heavily inspired by the ‘90s, there’s also newer products from The North Face being re-interpreted by Aimé Leon Dore, such as Gore-Tex Verto Alpine shoes and North Dome Rope bags that are re-imagined in leather.
“Collaborations can create a pull market and really drive excitement for the brand. So we want to make sure that we’re taking those learnings and again driving it all the way through,” said Whetstone.
Santis said the biggest focus for him and his team was how to merchandise the offering. He finds that it’s easy to design “beautiful North Face products” but that the bigger question is figuring out how it blends seamlessly in Aime Leon Dore’s universe. That’s apparent with the partners’ decision to create an entirely new waterproof shell jacket inspired by a classic firefighter’s coat rather than picking one of the brand’s waterproof jacket silhouettes.
“Storytelling is a big part of who we are. Obviously, the product’s going to look great, it’s going to be styled right, but when something like this project comes across, the merchandising is what takes center stage,” said Santis. “It has to live together so that consumers can look at it and love it for the same reason. Whether it’s an emotional connection or just a really good product.”
The collection, which is priced between $180 and $800 will be released on Sept. 19 and be distributed through Aimé Leon Dore’s New York and London locations, its website, and at select The North Face stores in Asia.
