Mohawk Blog

Never Stop Exploring: The North Face

Words
Jane Monast
Photography
Mohawk
Close-up of inner pages from the North Face catalog

For over 40 years, The North Face has provided an authentic solution to the real needs of athletes. Named for the coldest, most unforgiving side of a mountain, The North Face® legend began, ironically, on a beach.

More precisely, San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, at an altitude of only 150 feet above sea level. It was here in 1966 that two hiking enthusiasts resolved to follow their passions and founded a small mountaineering retail store. Soon thereafter, that little shop became known as The North Face, a retailer of high-performance climbing and backpacking equipment.

In 1968, The North Face moved to the other side of San Francisco Bay and began designing and manufacturing its own brand of technical mountaineering apparel and equipment. Through the 1960s, The North Face brand enjoyed a following amongst avid outdoor athletes and began sponsoring expeditions to some of the most far-flung, still largely untouched corners of the globe. This launched a proud tradition which continues in full force today and constantly reinforces The North Face mantra, Never Stop Exploring™.

Inner pages from The North Face catalog viewed from above

By the early 1980s, The North Face added extreme skiwear to the product offering. These were the days of pastels, neon, hair dye, and mohawks that laid the groundwork for today’s free-spirited snowsports athletes. The 1990s ushered in an era during which The North Face further broadened the outdoor world it helps athletes to explore.

Three copies of The North Face catalog on a wood surface

The North Face half dome logo began to appear with greater regularity on ultramarathon courses, high-country trails, and big walls. And, as the calendar clicked toward a new millennium, The North Face launched its own line of trekking and trail-running shoes to ultimately address the head-to-toe needs of those always striving for the next horizon.

Now, more than 40 years after its humble grand opening, The North Face delivers an extensive line of performance apparel, equipment, and footwear. There’s little telling what the next 40 years will hold. However, there is one bedrock certainty: The North Face will maintain an unwavering commitment to pushing the limits of design, so that atheletes can push their limits outdoors.

Pages of The North Face catalog showing product photography and lifestyle photography together
Three pages from inside the catalog arranged on a wood surface
close-up of an inner spread

The fall 2015 The North Face catalog was printed on Mohawk Options (Beautiful Collection), featuring Mohawk’s exclusive Inxwell surface technology that combines incredible print fidelity with the lush tactile feel of premium uncoated paper. The catalog features a selection of backpacks, parkas and boots constructed to serve as trusted companions through a lifetime of adventure, travel and everyday use. The design and imagery inspires customers to get out and move with style and comfort through mountains, coasts and urban jungles.

 


Production Notes

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Print Process
Offset Printing
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Web Printing
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bindary
Bindery
Saddle Stitching
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PN-printer
Printer
PN-designer
Designer
Hybrid Design

Materials Used

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