The North Face launches first-ever digital archive

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Oct 13, 2021

The North Face announced on Tuesday the launch of its fall brand campaign, coinciding with the debut of its first-ever crowdsourced digital archive. 

Dubbed 'It’s More Than A Jacket', the initiative honours and celebrates the brand’s more than 55-year history. To capture the meaning behind every piece of gear, the North Face campaign features its first-ever crowdsourced digital archive. 

Created in partnership with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), the digital archive will come to life through a series of participatory programs at the museum in fall 2022. 
The brand calls on explorers all over the world to submit stories and images of their own well-loved products to potentially be included in the official archive. 

The brand’s rich in adventure history will be featured and explored at the museum via the most historically significant designs and the stories behind them alongside everyday explorers’ submissions.

“For more than 55 years, The North Face has enabled exploration and helped people strive for greatness by providing the best gear to get them there,” said Mike Ferris, VP of global brand at The North Face. 

“Our customers, the feats they have achieved, and the memories they have created are such a big part of our brand’s rich DNA. With this archive, alongside SFMOMA, we are memorializing the people, products and stories that continue to inspire our community and move the world forward.”
 
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Bay Area-born The North Face to bring our community a wide range of unique and inspiring public programs” added Neal Benezra, Helen and Charles Schwab director of SFMOMA. “This partnership champions exploration, creative expression, and innovation that are critical to both of our organizations.”

As part of the campaign, The North Face is equally teaming up with cultural icons and artists RZA and HAIM alongside The North Face athlete team members Conrad Anker and Ingrid Backstrom to be the first explorers to submit to the archive this fall. 

Featured in the campaign is six new collections that all pay homage to the brand’s DNA, drawing inspiration from The North Face past and future adventures through gear.