Author
Bob Myaing
Photographer
The North Face
Mountainwear pioneers The North Face and idiosyncratic streetwear house Brain Dead are back with another collaborative capsule collection, this time focusing the scope on climbing-inspired apparel and accessories. Their initial 2019 release brought graphics and colorblocking from Brain Dead's designer Kyle Ng to classic North Face parkas, fleeces, tees, and sweats.
The new Fall 2020 Brain Dead x The North Face collection—set to release Friday 28 August at 1pm EST—builds on the prior line by introducing completely new pieces (including the first women's silhouettes from Brain Dead) that pull detailed fragments from The North Face's garment archive in addition to accessories both for street and mountain landscapes. Prices range from $50 to $380 throughout the collection.
Graphic patches baring polyhedrons and far out messages (levels of consciousness expansion) don the same jacket that is finished with a corduroy collar, traditionally spec'd for the fabric's columns of wale that pull water away from the neck and down to the ground. One our favorite pieces stretches the familiar mountain parka into a long fishtail parka adorned with oversized and repeated brand logos.
Climbers of discerning taste should take note of the mountain brand's staple fleece and puffy vest offerings that made it into the collection, too, just in time for the Fall sending season. Backpacks, duffles, and chalk bags round out it all out to make for a pretty solid offering. Don't forget to snag a pair of Brain Dead & Ashima x Evolv climbing shoes to go with all this hyped up gear.
Ahead of the release, ALL RISE, a climbing equality group founded by Brain Dead, Ashima Shirashi, and Long Beach Rising lead a live conversation on The North Face's YouTube channel on DEI efforts in the outdoors as part of Global Climbing Day this past weekend. (Check the event replay here.) It's all part of collective efforts to increase representation within and access to climbing. And we dig it, very much.
Because it's 2020 and nothing is easy, the limited-edition collection will be available online only to VIPeak members on thenorthface.com, though open to everyone at the TNF NYC storefront. Subsequently, drops will occur on wearebraindead.com and at all Dover Street Market locations as well as very select retailers. Set your iCal reminders and start counting you pennies, folks. This is one #rare collab not to miss.
*Btw huge shout out to FM Contributor Hiram Trejo who went for a boulder session Ashima to snag a few images of the collection in action.
Published 08-26-2020
