Fashion fans have something to look forward to this month when Gucci’s collaboration with outdoor-gear brand The North Face hits stores here. Both brands are no strangers to working with others: Gucci’s current partners include Disney and Doraemon, while The North Face has lent its crunchy, outdoorsy vibe to edgy fashion brands such as MM6 (Maison Margiela’s diffusion line) and Sacai.
However, as recently released campaign images show, this collaboration differs from earlier ones in its sheer breadth. Inspired by the19’70s — when The North Face was based in Berkley, California, and shared a storefront with Creedence Clearwater Revival’s practice studio (the video clip above makes good use of CCR’s perennial Bad Moon Rising) — and all things glam-hippie, the comprehensive collection includes ready-to-wear, bags, shoes and other accessories . Its retro influences go deep: The outerwear silhouettes and equipment are based on The North Face designs from the 1970s, and the collection also takes its cues from the company’s material library, with archival fabrics incorporated into some of the pieces. (Another form of upcycling comes courtesy of the use of the regenerated nylon Econyl.)
Unsurprisingly, the standout pieces are the puffer jackets and the bags, which blend utility with vibrant, vintage-esque prints: We predict the padded jacket covered in the classic brown Gucci monogram will be among the first to sell out. Other pieces we think will fly off shelves: the hiking boots, available in three colours (brown, black or cream), and retro tees emblazoned with a specially created collaborative logo combining The North’s Faces three curved lines with Gucci’s green and red stripes. Also sure to disappear faster than you can burn a marshmallow over an open fire: tents and sleeping bags, even if they will probably never come into contact with something as plebeian as soil.
While you could well use those pieces on your next glamping trip, the collection also includes ready-to-wear pieces that are clearly not intended to be sported anywhere near a campsite: These include silk-twill sets, skirts and chemise dresses, which have been, somehow, magically and perfectly matched with the outdoorsy pieces in the collection’s latest campaign — thanks, for sure, to Gucci Creative Director Alessandro Michele’s knack for off-kilter styling. Now, this is one range we can’t wait to explore.
You can get up close with the collection at #TheNorthFacexGucci pop-up store at The Gardens Mall which runs until 24 January
This story first appeared in The Peak Singapore
