Generation North Face

No one makes NF look better
 then Jared Leto!

   Is it just me or have you noticed a growing trend in the suburbs… It’s called NorthFaceitis. Symptoms include owning one or more North Face jackets, wearing them all the time, boycotting Columbia and hanging out with fellow North Face wearers. Don’t get me wrong, we have them in our house too, but I still can’t help but to observe the craze. I can’t pinpoint when this all started (because when I was in school it was Starter or bust) but now a days if you don’t rock out a North Face you are either a hipster or a non-conformist. The hipsters are too trendy for the trend and the non-conformist just won't to do anything hip. Other than that, I would guess 4 out of every 5 suburban households in the Midwest have at least one North Face hanging in the coat closet.



Have you taken you North Face
Selfie today?

   My personal favorite trait of these jackets is to take someone who otherwise looks scrubby and transform them into the total opposite. Literally, I could walk into Wal-Mart with my “Mom uniform” on (remember me saying this before, yoga pants, hoody and a messy bun) and end up on one of those people of Wal-Mart websites or have people looking at me while reprimanding my children like I am white trash. However, if I throw a North Face on over top of the exact same outfit, I guarantee that people would take a look and see the symbol on the jacket, only to think to themselves, “Oh she must be classy”. Furthermore as proof I would like to share a story from a friend that verifies this bold observation.

   One day while on the phone with a girlfriend we were talking about this exact issue when she said, “I would always see the same guy walking and figured he was homeless or at least didn’t have a car, then I got a closer look and noticed he was wearing a North Face jacket. As crazy as it sounds, I thought… well he must have money, maybe he’s just walking for exercise.” I couldn't help but  laugh and although you might not want to admit it, I am positive that others out there have made this same assumption.

 

   I will give The North Face company this though, it does not discriminate. It’s no Abercrombie or Lulu Lemon that only fits 13 year old girls or extremely thin adults. I’ve seen everyone from babies to 80 year olds and sizes 0 – 20 wearing them. The company also uses recycled material to make many of their products. You can find out more at

http://www.thenorthface.com/en_US/innovation/product/. Plus they do keep you warm! But never the less, it is a fad and I wonder how long it will be till the next newest brand is being worn by all. For now though, it’s still the “it” thing to have and the brand is definitely raking in the benefits. I wonder how long it will be before some weirdo gives their baby the name North Face? Hey it could happen! Remember the Jello twins? Their first names are Lemonjello and Orangejello. Lemonjello is pronounced as Luh-mahn-juh-low and Orangejello is pronounced as Oh-rahn-juh-low!

   No one knows what the future holds for North Face and only time will tell but in the meantime try playing this game the next time you attend a High School sporting event. Count the NF jackets that go by! Look around in the stands and admire the sea of Polartec® fleece! I guarantee that you will be amused.

 

Even the Olympic Athletes sported their NF gear!