An essay on the collaboration between The North Face and Gucci — and why the debate surrounding it misses a crucial point: fashion’s impact on the planet. Written for Adventure Uncovered’s 8th Edition.
In November 2020, scientists found microplastic fibres near the summit of Mount Everest. Their discovery made headlines; even the world’s highest mountain, upheld for so long as pristine, remote, a rite of passage for any aspiring mountaineer, had now been breached by something as banal as plastic. As the outdoor community recoiled in horror, the fact that every climber who has reached Everest’s summit and stood in awe, looking down at the world at their feet, has done so encased in layers of petroleum-derived fabrics was conveniently brushed aside. This unspoken agreement, the idea that things which are designed for use in nature must therefore be inherently good for it, is a very specific kind of cognitive dissonance; it’s the thread that holds together the entire outdoor industry – and simultaneously holds it apart from any notion of “fashion”. And what happens when it’s stretched too far? The answer can be found in Sidetracked magazine’s Instagram comment section.
The release of the collaboration between luxury fashion house Gucci and The North Face, presented to consumers via a further partnership with independent outdoor publication Sidetracked, hit social media with a bang. Almost instantly, battle lines were drawn and uproar ensued - some marvelled at the creative flair, others were outraged that high fashion had dared to enter the outdoor realm, and a few simply voiced their bemusement over how much others cared. Meanwhile, executives in their respective marketing departments were patting each other on the back (virtually, of course), because this was everything they had hoped for. Marketing, at its core, is simply storytelling; if the original isn’t engaging enough, you create a new story - or entice your audience to do so instead. The TNF x Gucci collaboration was purposely designed to provoke such a polarised reaction - because in between the fire emojis and calls for a boycott, the real story slips through the cracks. Whilst we are distracted by the in-fighting of outdoor gear versus luxury fashion, we’re missing the main event: the entire clothing industry versus the planet.
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