With all the collaborations dished by COMME des GARÇONS' CDG sub-label, it's surprising that it took until 2023 for CDG and The North Face to come together. Well, here we are, and with the debut CDG x TNF collection upon us, we're breaking down the union of two companies whose names can be shortened into three-letter acronym.
CDG x TNF is exactly what you'd think it'd be, if you've kept up with any of CDG's previous offerings.
The street-savvy imprint specializes in all-black outerwear and collaborative clothes laden with its abbreviated logo so that this is what we get with the CDG x The North Face collection ain't any surprise.
Comprising just over a half-dozen unique pieces, CDG x TNF delivers the straightforward stuff that CDG fans have come to expect.
TNF's Denali Polartec Fleece jacket, Hydrenaline Jacket (and matching pant), and puffy Nuptse Vest are all here in all-black, save for white CDG and TNF co-branding skewed 90 degrees to the right.
The same rotated logos also add the sole visual impact to monochrome T-shirts, a hat, and shoulder bag.
Well, as far as visual flair goes, there's also the all-caps text printed on the inside of the layering pieces, which suggests that jackets and vest ought to be worn inverted, as seen in the accompanying lookbook.
“Wear Your Freedom” and “My Energy Comes from Freedom,” typical COMME des GARÇONS slogans, appear throughout, alongside "自由を着る," which loosely translates as "to wear freedom."
All of the CDG x TNF clothes will be available at CDG's website, The North Face's web store (for XPLR Pass members) and select Dover Street Market, CDG, and The North Face flagships across the globe from August 22, before launching in Asia in mid-October.
It ain't terribly adventurous but, then again, neither was CDG x BAPE or COMME des GARÇONS PLAY's own TNF collection. CDG PLAY is actually a solid comparison for the CDG brand, really, what with its occasional outerwear collaborations always emphasizing uncomplicated branding over complex garment design.
