Brand intelligence
The North Face
The North Face is the American outdoor brand founded in San Francisco in 1966 by Douglas Tompkins and Susie Tompkins Buell. Named for the mountain’s coldest, most demanding side, it began as a small climbing and backpacking shop and developed products including internal-frame packs, expedition outerwear, the Mountain Jacket, Denali fleece and Base Camp Duffel. The North Face is part of VF Corporation and works across performance outdoor equipment, apparel, footwear and lifestyle product. The directory preserves the founders’ historic roles without inventing a single fashion-house creative director for a broad product organisation. VF reporting is group-level context, not The North Face-only revenue or earnings unless VF explicitly attributes a figure to the brand.
- Country
- USA
- Founded
- 1966
- Founder
- Douglas Tompkins
- Ownership
- V.F. Corporation
- Revenue scope
- Consolidated V.F. Corporation
- Documented milestones
- 6
- Douglas Tompkins — Co-Founder1966–1968 · business · former · The North Face
- Susie Tompkins Buell — Co-Founder1966–1968 · business · former · The North Face
- 1966 — Retail store opensDouglas and Susie Tompkins open The North Face in San Francisco.
- 1968 — Manufacturing directionThe young company moves toward technical equipment and apparel.
- 1985 — Mountain Jacket systemAn integrated expedition layering system enters the archive.
- 1992 — Nuptse introducedThe high-loft down jacket is named for a Himalayan peak.
- 2000 — VF acquisitionV.F. Corporation acquires The North Face.
- 2014 — Responsible Down StandardThe brand helps establish an animal-welfare standard for down.