Camping Never Looked Chicer, Thanks To Gucci’s Collab With North Face

A single tent flag that read “The North Face x Gucci”, blowing in the wind against a mountain vista, was all it took to drive fashionistas into a frenzy on Instagram. Details of the incoming collab between the American outdoor recreation brand and the Italian house are scarce, but it’s an interesting move from both parties.

Gucci is a major step up from The North Face’s previous fashion tie-ups with brands including Junya Watanabe, Supreme and Maison Margiela. And a move into technical outerwear is surprising for Gucci, a luxury behemoth which this year announced it was reducing its output by concentrating on seasonless collections shown twice a year.

Creative director Alessandro Michele recently shared his love of the great outdoors via Gucci’s Off The Grid capsule, comprised of recycled, organic, bio-based and sustainably sourced materials and modelled by Jane Fonda and Lil Nas X in a tree house. Its pre-fall 2020 campaign, entitled So Deer To Me, followed in the footsteps of its previous animal-populated photo shoots and featured, in no particular order, deers, fawns, owls, bluebirds, skunks, squirrels, frogs, ducks and rabbits. There’s a particularly sweet moment in the Sleeping Beauty-esque video when a hedgehog finds a new home: nestled on a Gucci-clad model’s beanie.

The North Face tie-up plays into the post-pandemic appetite for “the essential”, which Michele touched upon during his “radical” restructure of the house’s output in May. “We are a big brand, so we have a responsibility to take care of our industry,” Michele explained of the importance of reducing output and increasing sustainability. “We need to give it the time that’s needed. The things we make have a longer life than what we have allotted to them in the past.” The North Face’s longtime efforts to reduce its carbon footprint support Gucci’s positive changes for people and the planet. Buy a down jacket or waterproof from The North Face and you’ll be wearing it for life.

The social-media video is also a clever marketing ploy during Milan Fashion Week, where there is a Gucci-shaped hole on the spring/summer 2021 schedule. Show-goers might be missing out on the brand’s usual opulent runway spectacular, but with a single Insta post Gucci has already taken them to the fashion summit.