Spring is here, and The North Face have arrived with a new drop into their Retro Climb collection. Big, bold and bright, the standout pastels are inspired by the Californian climbing scene of the 80s, reimagined for today’s daily requirements (Read: no actual climbing of massive rocks required).
For Californian sport, the 70s and 80s marked two huge collisions of popular culture and outdoor pursuits, from surfing to skateboarding to rock climbing. The Dogtown and Z Boys put the former on the global map, but it was teams like the Californian Stonemasters Crew of the mid 70s and 80s who set the benchmark for counter culture rock climbing, abandoning traditional clothing and norms for long hair, bright colours and loud music as they scaled previously unimaginable heights.
Then came the really big names, stand out stars like Lynn Hill who spent the 80s and early 90s winning over thirty international titles and setting numerous records for first ascents in California.
And it’s this combination of ground-breaking ascents and big name characters that The North Face have tapped into, that heady world where convention and caution were thrown to the wind and a new brave style was born.
This is the second part to the collection (the first landed in early March) and standout pieces that now join the iconic Lhotse jacket, side slack pants and trail escape shoes are the headpoint jacket and pink crew jumper to complete a full head to toe look.
The new drop is available to buy now online at https://www.thenorthface.co.uk/ and across select retailers. To keep up-to-date on future launches follow @thenorthfaceuk on Instagram, and @thenorthface on Facebook.
