The North Face has never shied away from technical innovation, but its latest collaboration shifts the focus somewhere quieter — toward craft, tradition, and cultural continuity. Partnering with Sashiko Gals, a collective of Japanese artisans dedicated to preserving the heritage of sashiko embroidery, the brand transforms one of its most iconic silhouettes into something far more intimate and considered.
At the centre of the project is the Nuptse Hanten Sashiko Jacket, a piece that collapses boundaries between outdoor performance and domestic ritual. The design fuses the unmistakable volume and insulation of the 1992 Nuptse with the form of a hanten, the traditional Japanese winter coat typically worn indoors. In doing so, the jacket moves away from the language of expedition gear and closer to that of Japanese homewear — relaxed, enveloping, and quietly functional.
The familiar Nuptse warmth remains intact, but the structure is rethought. The jacket does away with zippers entirely, favouring a looser, wrap-like construction that prioritises comfort and ease. It’s a subtle but meaningful shift, reframing technical insulation as something lived with rather than worn against the elements.
Material innovation underpins the project. The jacket is constructed using a lab-grown, petroleum-free fibre developed by Spiber, reinforcing the idea that progress doesn’t have to come at the expense of tradition. Instead, the collaboration positions sustainability, craft, and technology as complementary forces rather than opposing ones.
Sashiko stitching becomes more than decoration here — it acts as a visible record of labour, patience, and human touch. Each garment carries the marks of the hands that made it, standing in quiet contrast to the mass-produced logic that usually defines technical outerwear.
Released in extremely limited quantities, the Nuptse Hanten Sashiko Jacket will be available exclusively at The North Face ALTER in Harajuku from December 27.
Photos: The North Face / Sashiko Gals