To the casual observer, Gucci and The North Face may not seem to have much in common. Afterall, one is a major player in the world of luxury fashion while the other is a high street outdoor clothing retailer. Surprisingly then, the duo have teamed up to produce the year’s most exciting collaboration.
Set to officially drop in early 2021, North Face x Gucci manages to pay homage to the North American outdoor specialist’s rugged aesthetic as well as the Italian fashion brand’s skilful tailoring and clever use of motifs.
The collection focuses on clothes and accessories that can be worn and used outdoors with hiking boots, bomber jackets, coats & sweat shirts as well as camping accessories such as tents and sleeping bags.
Design wise, the collaboration is dominated by bold floral motifs which adorn everything from puffer jackets to huge back packs. Elsewhere, the North Face logo and the Gucci chain design are used in aesthetically pleasing repeated patterns on skirts, jackets and tops.
The duo have even gone as far as to create their own hybrid logo, a combination of The North Face’s Half Dome iconography and Gucci’s green-red-green stripe.
The colour palette is dominated by earth tones, tangy greens and oranges, and vivid bursts of tropical colour. The overall effect is feminine and modern yet also somehow exotic.
Naturally, in a collection which focuses on nature and the natural world, sustainability is of paramount concern. To this end, the bags have been created using a fabric made from regenerated fishing nets and scrapped carpets, the outerwear is made using archival fabrics from The North Face, while the packaging comes from ‘sustainably managed forest sources’.
The North Face x Gucci link up comes at the end of a year which has seen a string of high profile fashion industry collaborations, everything from Yohji Yamamoto & Supreme, Prada & Adidas, Adidas and Lego and Stüssy and Dior.
The North Face x Gucci will be available online from Selfridges from the 4th of January 2021. You can read more about Gucci here.
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