The North Face Brand Spotlight

There are few brands on the planet as iconic and globally recognized as The North Face. From designing outerwear to confront the harshest conditions imaginable, to era-defining streetwear found in every city, Outdoor Gear Exchange is proud to feature The North Face as November’s Brand Spotlight. Before we reflect on The North Face’s history, innovations, and impact on the industry and the planet, we have exciting news!

This is no ordinary brand spotlight. We’re teaming up with The North Face to host a FREE event at 37 Church Street on November 13th, 2025 at 7:00 PM. The event will center around a limited film screening of The North Face’s newest adventure documentary: Trango. An up-close and personal recount of Christina Lusti, Jim Morrison, Nick McNutt and Chantel Astorga’s experience as the first to ski descend the Great Trango Glacier. Read more about the Trango event.

The event will include an interactive display of The North Face’s Advanced Mountain Kits, food, and delicious craft brews from our friends at Four Quarters Brewing! And, did you think we would forget about the giveaways? The North Face will sponsor a massive gear raffle after the screening! Proceeds from the event will benefit Vermont Adaptive.

Now, let’s take a look at The North Face’s journey from a small retailer in San Francisco to an international brand empowering adventures at every level. 

In 1966, Doug and Susie Tompkins opened the doors to a humble shop in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, beneath a sign that read: “The North Face Mountaineering Specialists.” The opening event hosted a performance from The Grateful Dead, and drew a diverse crowd including rock climbers, and members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang - foreshadowing a decades-long commitment to making the outdoors accessible to all.

Their retail operation expanded to support two stores, as another location opened in Palo Alto. At this time, The North Face found success in importing high-quality European mountaineering gear, and supplying the gear to adventurers heading out to Yosemite and beyond.

In 1968, Kenneth ‘Hap’ Klopp purchased The North Face with a vision to revitalize the brand, and begin manufacturing equipment in-house. With a deep respect for the outdoors, and an interest in preserving it, Klopp embodied the fundamental values of The North Face. Under Klopp’s leadership, David Alcorn designed the brand’s iconic logo - which is still in use today. The logo was inspired by Yosemite National Park’s Half Dome rock formation.

From this point, The North Face began innovating. Challenging industry norms and shattering expectations held by adventurers looking to get the most out of their gear.

The iconic, and innovative Mountain Jacket and Pants with GORE-TEX® technology in each piece. Providing comfort and freedom of movement for adventurers, and timeless style.

1969 - The Ruthsack One of the first internally supported packs ever designed. Enabling adventurers to carry more equipment farther without feeling as much strain.	(The North Face)
1975 - The Oval InTENTion A revolutionary camp shelter which provided optimal space with less materials. Making the outdoors feel like home.	(The North Face)
1985 - The Mountain Jacket The iconic, and innovative Mountain Jacket and Pants with GORE-TEX® technology in each piece. Providing comfort and freedom of movement for adventurers, and timeless style.	Ang Dorje Sherpa -Summited Mt. Everest 24 times, pictured in TNF Mountain Jacket and Pants (Wikipedia)
1986 - The Base Camp Duffel Made with nearly indestructible laminated vinyl, the Base Camp Duffel is a go-anywhere, do-anything bag born for every type of expedition. Shop Base Camp Duffels	(The North Face)
1989 - The Denali Jacket Designed to work in concert with the Mountain Jacket, the Denali Jacket was a technical fleece that found its place everywhere from the crag, to the mountainside, and the college campus.	Todd Skinner - 1989 (The North Face)
1992 - The Nuptse Few pieces of apparel are as ubiquitous as the Nuptse. Blurring the lines between streetwear and adventure apparel, it is as well respected in the world of fashion as it is in the world of mountaineering.

Intertwined with The North Face’s groundbreaking innovations and iconic fashion were lesser-known stories of championing sustainability and remarkable human achievements. These are just a few of The North Face’s efforts to preserve our planet, and their sponsorship of some of the most remarkable athletes to ever live.

1972 - A 300-Mile Alaskan Expedition, and Exposing the Alaskan Oil Pipeline One of The North Face’s first sponsored expeditions led to the publication of an alert to the American public about the pipeline’s potential impact on Alaskan wildlife.

1978 - All-Female Team Summit of Annapurna The first American team to summit the 10th highest peak on the planet, at 26,000 feet. This team was all female, led by Arlene Blum.

Arelene Blum

1989 - The North Face co-founds The Conservation Alliance “We harness the power of businesses from a wide range of industries to protect outdoor spaces and wild places”

1989-1990 - Trans-Antarctic Expedition A six person team representing the USA, China, Great Britain, France, the USSR, and Japan, traveled over 3,700 miles from end to end of the previously un-explored continent.

2006 - The Seven Summits Kit DesLauriers became the first person to ski the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. 

Kit DesLauriers, Rescue Gully, Denali, Credit: Rob DesLauriers

2004 - First American woman to climb and ski Denali’s summit in North America
2005 - Mount Elbrus in Europe
2005 - Mount Kosciuszko in Australia 
2005 - Vinson Massiv in Antarctica
2005 - Aconcagua in South America
2006 - Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa 
2006 - Mount Everest in Europe

2008 - Alex Honnold free solos the Moonlight Buttress 
2010 - The North Face Explore Fund A $500,000 grant-giving program aimed to make the outdoors more accessible.

2017 - Alex Honnold free solos the Freerider route of El Capitan

Photo by Jimmy Chin, Yosemite, California

Through meaningful innovation and important partnerships, The North Face has engineered some of the highest-performing outdoor equipment on the market. Allowing athletes everywhere to break through barriers and conquer feats that were never before thought possible.