The North Face and Skims plan a rendezvous on the slopes.

The two brands have joined forces to introduce a collection of The North Face’s archive styles reimagined with Skims’ innovative fit and signature color palette, available December 10th.

The partnership offers head-to-toe, all-day looks that span from the mountains to après-ski and beyond. The range includes a down jacket, a fleece jacket, a down onesie, a waterproof shell pant, an adaptive Lycra bodysuit with top and bottom and a DotKnit top and bottom, as well as accessories such as a hat, gloves and insulated mules.

“At The North Face, innovation and functionality are always our top priority, and the collaboration space is no exception,” said David Whetstone, director of collaboration and energy at The North Face. “With Skims we have maintained premium construction and materials and this collaboration was born out of mutual admiration. The North Face continually draws inspiration from innovative brands that push culture forward, like Skims, and this limited-edition collection draws on each brand’s core strengths.”

In a phone interview, Whetstone said they had been thinking about working with Skims for some time and reached out to Skims co-founder and chief creative officer Kim Kardashian, who happens to be an avid skier. “We recognize that the world is changing rapidly and we are always interested in partners that drive culture forward. We felt that Skims was doing something different in driving culture and was an icon in its own way,” he said. He added that The North Face has many iconic, classic outerwear pieces, “but you know a Skims product with that iconic color palette and an iconic fit.”

Kardashian says: “This is Skims’ first-ever foray into the world of winter clothing and partnering with The North Face allowed us to leverage their expertise in the category.” The collection is a combination of functional and flattering clothing solutions for the season. Having spent a lot of time on the slopes, developing this collection definitely inspired me and I can’t wait to wear these pieces on my next trip.”

The collaboration combines The North Face’s iconic designs with Skims’ core design principles of flattering, body-hugging silhouettes. Skims’ shaping and compressive base layers are paired with The North Face’s outerwear and accentuate the body’s natural curves, a signature Skims element found in its product lines from bras to loungewear.

Whetstone said that when they contacted Kardashian, they discovered that “Kim is a big fan of North Face. “She has many North Face products in her own archive and many of them she made herself. All of this gave us a great starting point. And we’ve customized the fit of each of our outerwear pieces. That was part one. We really thought about a fit that made sense for the woman’s figure and Skims’ contemporary point of view. We have always felt that we are at our best when we create pieces with multiple layers,” he said.

He explained that there are two overlapping proposals. There’s DotKnit, a double-knit performance fabric that wicks moisture away from the body. The second is a fabric called Lycra Adaptiv, which comes to market with Skims. It is adaptive extensibility, which involves compression, flexibility, and the retention of shape and strength. “While it provides a lot of stretch for mobility, it really comes down to retention and compression and the kind of give that maintains strength,” he said. He said Lycra Adaptiv will be a big launch for The North Face in February, but will launch alongside Skims this month.

For now, North Face and Skims are teaming up again for a year-long collaboration that launches on December 10th.

The collection begins with a jacket re-adapted from Kardashian’s closet. There’s also a Denali jacket and pants, which are classic fleece pieces. The collection features a one-piece suit originally built to send explorers to the highest mountains in the world. According to Whetstone, it has been redesigned to make it wearable in the lifestyle/performance category.

Everything is designed so that the pieces can work, he said. The collection includes pants you can ski in. The DotKnit is truly designed for performance and serves as a base layer when you’re on the mountain. And Lycra Adaptive can be used as a base layer or for training. In total they are releasing 12 styles in four color variants. The colors are ochre, sienna, cocoa and onyx.

Whetstone said they take a similar approach to working together, regardless of the company. “We always start by providing archive and future North Face products to our collaboration partners. This allows partners to fully experience our brand and see what they respond to. We did the same thing with Skims,” he said. He said they drove to Los Angeles, unpacked some North Face products, “and we allowed Kim to try things on.”

“She tried on a down jacket, she tried on our snow pants and she tried on our base layers. She responded to things she liked and didn’t like. We tuned everything to make sure it meets North Face and Skims specifications as well as Kim’s preferences. Everything was created collaboratively and followed a process that has worked for us on many of these collaborations,” said Whetstone.

What was really exciting was that Kardashian brought some of her North Face pieces, such as her own down jacket and taped seams. “That gave us some initial insights and starting points,” he said.

When selecting these collaborations, Whetstone said, “We’re interested in brands that have a clear point of view and a clear position, are icons and have things that they’re known for.” For her, it was skin and color palette appropriate. Of course, we also have items that you immediately know are The North Face. When you work with a brand with a clear DNA, it reinforces the idea of ​​two brands coming together.”

He said they are careful to ensure that no brand’s DNA overshadows the other. “We’re really trying to make sure there’s a 50:50 split in the DNA. Some are pure North Face styles but coordinated with Skims, with a color palette that references what Skims does so well,” he said.

In the past, The North Face has collaborated with brands such as MM6 Maison Margiela, Comme des Garçons and Cecilie Bahnsen.

While he couldn’t provide a first-year sales forecast for North Face x Skims, he said, “We expect it to move quickly.” In general, our collaborations move very quickly and we expect them to sell out very quickly.”

He said he was particularly pleased that the collection could be truly elevated but accessible. The collection is manufactured at The North Face’s factories in Vietnam.

Whetstone said what he also admired about Skims was the inclusivity of her body. “We talk about exploration and trying to provide performance solutions for all explorers and being able to develop products for many different body types,” he said. He expects the base layers and its iconic pieces to be the best sellers alongside the mules. “There are also some very nice accessories,” he added.

The collection will be sold internationally at The North Face’s flagship locations including SoHo, NY; Cortina, Italy; Milan; Regent Street and Battersea in London; Locations Shanghai and Beijing. LuisasViaRoma and Highsnobiety in Milan will stock the collection. It will also be available on skims.com from December 10th.

Sizes range from XXS to 3X and from Small to XL. The mules range in size from 5 to 11. Retail prices range from $60 to $1,200.

The partnership between North Face and Skims comes to life with two campaigns. One campaign was photographed by Vanessa Beecroft. The cast is captured on the peaks and skiing on the slopes in Chile. Kardashian can be seen in another campaign, photographed by Donna Trope. This image shows Kardashian wearing a DotKnit top and bottom from The North Face’s new collection. This is a double-knit fabric that wicks moisture away from the body by combining hydrophobic and hydrophilic yarns designed for warmth and protection.

To bring the collection even further to life, the collection will be presented in an exclusive in-store shopping experience that combines the visual identities of both brands. The lights will be inspired by Skims’ signature monolithic shapes and soft curves while incorporating The North Face’s precise hardware details and technical connections, all in a tonal, monochromatic, frosted palette.

“At Skims, we are always focused on what’s next and are constantly working to develop new solutions for our customers,” said Jens Grede, CEO of Skims, which he co-founded in 2019. “This collaboration with The North Face has allowed us to take the brand’s traditional know-how and complement it with our own creative and solution-based design codes for one of our most technical collections to date,” said Grede.

Previous Skims collaborations have included brands such as Fendi, Swarovski and Team USA for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as partnerships with the NBA and WNBA.

Kardashian, along with Emma and Jens Grede, built Skims, worth an estimated $4 billion, that represents a comprehensive vision of beauty, from body shape to skin tone. In the summer of 2023, the mark grew to $750 million from $500 million in 2022. The brand was raising funds for a possible IPO.

The North Face was founded in 1966 with the goal of providing athletes with equipment ready for their outdoor adventures. The brand is at the heart of the VF portfolio, which includes Vans, Timberland and Dickies, among others. As reported, The North Face has increased its stake in New York City with a new 5,000-square-foot store in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood and plans to expand its Fifth Avenue flagship by the end of 2025.