Collection: The North Face

Doug Tompkins co-founded The North Face in 1966 with the intention of making the outdoors accessible to people of all backgrounds and capabilities. In the first The North Face mail order catalogue, Doug wrote a Letter to consumers expressing his desire to outfit the adventurer with gear that mirrored the proverb, “necessity before luxury.” With the creation of The North Face, Doug hoped to bring an end to the age of “gimmicks and gadgetry” he saw being produced in the equipment manufacturing industry and promised, “to provide adequate and practical items to those interested in mountain sports.”