The North Face X Gucci Quietly Drops Big a Second Time to Lead 2022 Collaborations

The North Face X Gucci doubles down on a BIG New Year’s launch of chapter two of their collaboration. We say that emphasis has shifted from fashion runway camp patterns and global tribe explorers with good hearts in last year’s January debut to closeup images of practical technical gear that means business for 2022.

As more than one blogger has pointed out, no one is seriously mountaineering Tibet’s Everest North Face or Cho Oyu in these clothes. But there is a serious performance attitude in the pieces and accessories that creates a different energy and seriousness from the first drop. AOC loves the closeup shots, and we are always suckers for flowers.

Kudos to French photography duo, twin brothers Jalan and Jibril Durimel, [IG], who shot the campaign in Iceland. Born in Paris to parents from the island of Guadeloupe, at the age of 4 they moved to Miami where they first jumped into the waters of American culture.

The second collection feels like the outerwear emphasis is stronger, and so are the price points. Pieces from The North Face's extensive archives are remixed with the GG monogram. Prints and patterns clearly carry the Gucci vibe, but they do not dominate.

All of the pieces are carrying improved functionality from year one. Archive styles from the '70s, ‘80s and '90s look familiar but they are packed with current proprietary technologies by The North Face.

ECONYL was a player in backpacks and other accessories in the first collab drop. Instead of regular nylon, the collection uses ECONYL—made from regenerated post-consumer nylon— throughout. AOC has tracked and promoted ECONYL for years and we applaud this big role for the earth-friendly fiber that creates performance-fabric wonderfulness out of our garbage.

More good news, 100 percent of the down used in the collection is certified by the Responsible Down Standard by Control Union.

“In stills and video, this territory’s otherworldly spirit and its unique landscapes feature intrepid explorers pictured against the Nordic island’s vast and breath-taking scenic backdrop,” Gucci shares about the campaign. “Celebrating the spirit of exploration in all its forms, this collection once again draws from values of self-discovery and self-expression that define both brands.”

North American Pop-Ups

You can shop The North Face X Gucci collection online at Gucci and at The North Face. several pop-up shops in winter locations will be open from January 11th to January 25th, 2022. In North America, the pop-up locations include Fifth Avenue in Manhattan; Aspen, Colorado; Chicago and on Bloor Street in Toronto. The pop-ups are worldwide, so check your local fashion media.

When you shop the pop-ups, your purchases will be packed in boxes with handles. No need for a shopping bag. All of the paper and cardboard that is used in The North Face X Gucci collection comes from sustainably-managed forest sources. An uncoated paper was used to make it fully recyclable.

Read this 2020 Forest.org in-depth about progress in sustainably-managed packaging materials. And AOC Sustainability shared a recent article about US states like Maine and Oregon adopting laws around EPR, which stands for Extended Producer Responsibility in packaging.

Presently, American taxpayers and cities without enough money to keep our schools operating like in past decades or paying our teachers a competitive salary foot the bill for all that Amazon PRIME packaging piling up all over America and around the world.

EPR says that states and cities will pick up the garbage and try to recycle it, but the sellers — Amazon, Walmart, Nordstrom and company must pay fees to the state for what is a hideous new problem attached to the explosion of shopping online.