So The North Face Purple Label is one of those brands exclusive to Japan. Their Fall/Winter collection includes a new Harris Tweed Style for their down vest’s and jackets. Dope right? Right.

Click thumbnails for larger images!

No fear, you can get some of your own exclusive to Japan purple label @ Nanamica!

The North Face Purple Label, which is only availbe in Japan, has again the TNF technology with a more technical and also more stylish approach.
Here you get a look at their new Harris Tweed styles.

More images of the jackets after the jump.

Info: Highsnobiety

Here are a couple of new product instruction videos I made for The North Face web site in Japan. We shot these simple videos in Tateyama last spring. There are four in total, helping to explain the correct way to use the winter specific backpacks that The North Face makes here in Japan. There are a lot of features included with these bags so it might be a good idea to watch so that you don’t miss something.

Click here to go to the official North Face web site, then click on the link called “Users Guide” from there you will see the Snowpacks image below.

Not only video, you can see step by step instructions by photos as well.

This article first appeared in Stephan’s City AM column.

We all like to ‘make up our own minds’ about brands, and recommend to our friends those with which we have had positive dealings. However, rather than being wholly our own self-determined opinions, these recommendations  tie in with the seasons much more readily than we might think. Some ‘seasonal brands’ like The North Face and Pimms No.1 are obvious in their application to specific periods of the year or weather conditions. However, many brands have a less obvious seasonal connection.

The connotations that brands carry can be down to the emotions they evoke, or some deeper association we hold with them. BrandIndex tracks brands for 52 weeks of the year, so we see these changes happening day-by-day.

On the graph we have chosen six products across two sectors with which possess ‘wintery’ associations: ales and pro-biotic health drinks. Imagine a nice pint of ale in a warm pub or sitting room, as winter sets in. BrandIndex ‘recommend’ scores for IPA, John Smith’s and Tetley indicate a consistent upward trend, when we compare the averages from August and September combined, to those from October and November. More people recommend ales as the weather gets colder and Christmas approaches.

‘Recommend scores’ are a reliable measure of perceived brand quality, but brands exist within a real-life context – not just in marketing theory books. Cold and wet weather influences how we feel, and how we relate to health brands. As we see colleagues, friends and family members come down with the lurgy, we start to think more positively about Actimel, Activia, and Danone. Average recommend scores increase for all three from the temperate August and September period, to the colds, coughs and splutters of October and November. Brands interact with real-life; they do not sit above or beyond it.

Just back from a  special collaboration event between the material maker Pertex and The North Face.  High tech materials on display along with the North Face products, invitation only.  Also nice music from DJ Nori!

Hallo ihr da draussen !

Es wird Zeit, dass die Temperaturen sinken und die Schneeflocken endlich runterfallen, auch im Sauerland!

Dazu braucht man natürlich neue, frische Outfits

Hier die neue Burton Poacher Jackt und die dazu passende Poacher Pants

Das Board ist das Burton Malolo 158cm richtig geiles Teil…

Alles bekommt man bei mir in der Bergzentrale, Geisentl 4, 44805 Bochum

www.bergzentrale.de

In the late 1990s and early 2000s with the rise of wilderness chic, The North Face became a well-known brand and its popularity, especially among youth and college students, increased substantially. An upper-end The North Face winter jacket currently costs about £300. Due to the high demand for and the high prices of these products, a market developed for counterfeit (illegally replicated) The North Face goods. Sold on EBay or in other unregulated venues, counterfeits can usually be detected by their misplacement of logos and obvious inferiority of craftsmanship. In addition to this, many counterfeit The North Face products are not made of Gore-Tex or HyVent, despite being so marked.

We were recently asked by an Ebay member if there was any way in which a North Face jacket could be indentified as a fake.

The buyer was concerned that the purchase they had made in good faith from what appeared to be a reputable seller was an imported counterfeit. It is hard to tell in some cases as the quality is very similar in every way to that of the original. On some designs, it would appear that the fake version may have slight differences, or variations, for example:

The logo may be in the wrong place, poorly stitched, different colour, low grade stitching materials, or offset. The labels may be excessive and display inaccurate descriptions such as, “dry clean only” when it is a Gore-Tex jacket. Clearly, a Gore-Tex jacket should not be dry cleaned as this will damage the protective coating. There are also many jackets sold on Ebay that do not reflect the same design as those found on the original North Face website.
We have also found that certain wholesalers, who advertise their products on sites such as Alibaba, offer The North Face jackets in wholesale quantities but do not in any way resemble the original jackets as displayed on the original North Face website. The wholesalers make fictitious claims that these are the latest models, making the potential buyers (who incidently can be any member of the public) think they are receiving a bargain. Our advice is: if it is not displayed on the North Face website then it is likely to be a fake or copy of an original design. Don’t be fooled into thinking it is an original especially if the price sounds too good to be true!

So what are Ebay doing about it…

Quite frankly not much as it seems. The problem is that if Ebay eradicated all listings that appeared fraudulent, or counterfeit, there would likely be hardly anything for sale on Ebay, in turn, Ebay would not be making the millions they currently do. The issue with items such as the North Face jackets is their high value. Original North Face jackets will retail between £100 right up to £300 plus. They are also high up on the most wanted items.

So why aren’t Ebay taking more pro-active measures to prevent this activity?

Again, the likely hood of this is down to money, revenue and the fact that sales of North Face jackets sold on Ebay are predicted to exceed five figure numbers on a monthly basis.

The best advice is to take action yourself and look for possible clues as to who is and who isn’t genuine, or should we say, what is and what isn’t genuine.

Some Ebay sellers will make claims that they received the jacket as a present but it no longer fits, some put a very basic description.
Here’s what to do:

Check their feedback first, see if they have sold any other jackets lately. if they have several listings as “Private” be cautious, especially if the listing for the current North Face Jacket is “private bidders only” and the listing states a personal message, such as “I was bought this as a gift but it doesn’t fit” etc.

Sometimes, you will find comments within the feedback that state “lovely jacket…”

If they appear to sell many duplicate items, then be cautious as this could signify that they are a trader or “Backstreet trader” that sell wholesale goods, damaged items or returns etc. If this is the case and they are, then it is likely the jackets may have come form a wholesale site or have been imported in. It is possible for any member of the public to buy the imported versions (fakes) from abroad. With order quantities ranging form just one to unlimited it is easy for people to get hold of a non-genuine example.

If in doubt consult The North Face website direct. Always use Paypal if buying from Ebay, you are protected for your purchases if the item bought appears to be or is proven to be fake.

For more information please contact Seagal Investigations

Ebay Fraud Prevention

Ebay Fraud Site

This holiday season, The North Face® is awarding Gear for a Year to 10 lucky winners. Jackets, insulated layers, sleeping bags, tents, shorts, hats, gloves, shoes, socks… they’ll give you $5,000 to build your fantasy collection.

Enter now online, or visit The North Face store near you between November 9 and December 24, 2009. Limited to one entry per day. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

Sweepstakes Ending Date : 24 December 2009

This jacket is exclusive to The North Face Omotesando Hills location. Available now for $593.

via Hypebeast

Last week I blogged about the Christmas Lights turn on as an event. I did give the impression I would be watching this event.

 Sadly, I have let down go outdoors followers by not going to watch the lights with half of the city, but instead opting to go to the cinema. This was on account of the rain, which whilst not as treacherous as the fall seen down south, was a bit rubbish. Sadly, my choice to go to the flicks meant that opposed to being stuck in the rain, I was instead stuck  in a sweaty auditorium with the other half of the city’s occupants who had the same idea as myself and the mister. (And who munch food. Very loudly. Ergh.)

It did give me a good idea for a relevant blog however, involving how to look good in the rain- If you absolutely have to head out, and don’t have a car, a friendly boy to take you to the cinema, or a bag full of excuses for not doing things…

Granted, if you live in Britain, you may well have spent your life adapting to a life of carrying around spare brushes and bobbles for hair freakouts courtesy of Mother Nature, but here are some ideas for looking good, without the look of a mountaineer, so whether it’s a cute winter walk, an autumnal date, or just Christmas drinks, be prepared.

(Don’t be the girl with her hair under the hand dryers in the ladies loo. Not cute.)

1.Already said it – carry a brush or a comb. Just for the ladies, this one, a man with a comb in his pocket strikes me as, politely, a fool. I’d rather see a syringe poking out of a pair of skinny jeans than a shiny silver comb I’m afraid.

2. Hair bands. Perfect for slicking back drowned rat hair, a hair band can keep the drips out of your eyes, hide the bulk of the dampness, and if you scrunch the main ‘body’ of hair at the back, you get a nice ‘I meant to look like this’ effect. We have just got in a huge batch of (cheap) and pretty awesome Buffs, which come in every style imaginable. (If you have a tasteful imagination mind- the range comprises heaps of colours and designs, skulls, roses, polka dots, flames, mountains… You name it.) These also dry off really quickly, so if you, like me, raced into the cinema with a drenched head, you can whip it off and it will be dry and snug by the time the end credits roll.

3.Gloves. Nothing is less attractive than bright red hands. It gives the look of lobster, and makes your manicure look, claw like. I should know- with a hefty dose of poor blood circulation from my gene pool, I need a glove to keep in some of my skin’s yellowness.

BUT you don’t want to offset your tulip skirt and cute military chic look with hoiking great padded gloves. Look at Thinsulate gloves, which shield you from the weather, without padding you out. Super soft and quick drying, these are perfect for inviting a spot of hand holding. PG fun all round.

4. A cute waterproof jacket is the perfect cover up. Team it with some jeans, go for classic cuts and tones and you have a winner that will last season after season. Sure, flouncy funnel necked styles made from 100% cotton may look cute on the hanger in the shop, but team the wrong coat with rain and you get the scent of wet dog, bobbling and a heaviness to rival Hulk Hogan.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, The Marmot Furlong is uber cute, and it comes with fake fur detailing. It comes in a gilet too, if you plan on making snow angels. And who isn’t?! We also have some new Nike jackets in, which look quite nice and urban. (My body is the first picture in that link, in the little fuschia number. The buyers will see it again. Soon. Ish. )

To avoid chav connotations of the Nike brand, my advice is to wear it, because they look good, and fit the weather (win) but simply avoid styling it up with trainers and a baseball cap. Oh, and stay out of underpasses. And don’t kick pigeons. Or old people.

5. Which leads me on to – hats. If you aren’t a headband girl, go for a super cute beanie hat. Dare 2B have gorgeous named hats like the Liplock, which I would buy for the name alone. Tassles, toggles, pom poms and cute colours, perfect for a cute cover up that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Wear with sleek jeans (That don’t reach the floor- no-one likes to see mud wedged into denim) your classic waterproof jacket, slim gloves and you have a gorgeous, cute, weatherproofed look. And if you refer back to number 1, when you whip off your headband or hat, you can whizz through your mane with a quick brush and you’re good to go.

A perfect, 5 step solution to keeping your cool in the rain. I love it when a plan comes together.

:]

Enjoy.

Elaine x

A marca Adidas pretende investir fortemente no segmento de esportes de aventura a partir de 2010. A empresa acaba de anunciar uma nova linha de jaquetas que vai concorrer diretamente com a marca The North Face, que pertence ao portfólio da VF Corp.

A nova jaqueta da Adidas, que recebeu o nome de Terrex Feather, foi projetada para proteger os usuários em caminhadas de até 6 mil metros de altitude. O produto estará disponível primeiramente na Alemanha, Austrália, Suíça, além de Rússia, China e Coréia do Sul. A partir de 2012, uma linha de produtos de aventura estará disponível mundialmente.

A investida da Adidas neste segmento acontece por conta do forte crescimento das vendas em itens de aventura na Europa e por conta da natureza fragmentada do setor.

Comme des Garcons MAN and its lead designer Junya Watanabe came up with this fresh orange down vest for The North Face for the 2009 holiday season. The design is accented by Watanabe’s strong aesthetics which create a strong silhouette on any man lucky enough to pick up one of these vests.

(Via DEFINITIVE TOUCH)

I need this ASAP!!!  This is by far one of the best vest’s I’ve seen this year.

Quintessential outdoors label The North Face team up with Junya Wantanabe’s COMME des GARCONS MAN on a new down vest for the Holidays. The piece features a simple design with the usual Wantanabe design aesthetic accented with a premium leather yoke and asymmetrical zipper pockets.

SOURCE: F.Luxury.B

Decided I didn’t like the quality of the video I posted to YouTube, so I re exported it in a different format and tried again. Check this one out for a better quality viewing experience. Thanks