How do 66°North, an age-old Icelandic outdoor outfitter, and District Vision, a hip Los Angeles running imprint, fit together? Quite easily, actually. "We bring nearly a century of outerwear expertise; they bring fresh energy and insight into performance running," Helgi Óskarsson, CEO of 66°North.

Having spent the past 99 years producing high-performance outdoor clothing capable of withstanding some of the harshest environments the Nordic countries have to offer, 66°North is exploring new ways of bringing its technical knowledge into the running world. This made District Vision, one of the coolest running brands out, an ideal partner.

"District Vision brought the kind of specialty we needed to push deeper into high-performance winter running," Óskarsson tells Highsnobiety. He already oversaw the launch of one 66°North running line earlier this year, cocreated with Rory Griffin, founder of outdoor lifestyle publication Orienteer Mapazine.

Now Óskarsson is bringing District Vision into frame in a bid to more organically align 66°North with style-savvy runners.

66°North x District Vision isn't just stylish running gear, it's an Arctic‑grade exploration kit built using thermoregulatory fabrics and extreme insulation.

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The collection includes high-tech pieces like a balaclava top, tights, and shorts made with a recycled breathable four-way stretch Italian fabric.

There's also a patchwork puffer jacket, lined with GORE-TEX Windstopper fabric and 800 fill-power goose down and inspired by the custom 66°North suit that Leifur Örn Svavarsson wore when he became the first Icelander to summit Mount Everest's north face in 2013.

"That moment proved gear created in Iceland could perform on the world's most demanding peaks," says Óskarsson.

While this level of warmth-providing functionality is new to Californian label District Vision, it's second nature to 66°North. "Iceland is in many ways the ultimate testing lab," says Óskarsson. "We have rain, wind, snow, cold, and constantly changing conditions all around us."

District Vision's specialties are also clear enough, evidenced by the collaborative sunglasses it created for this partnership.

Made with shatterproof polycarbonate lenses, anti-reflective coatings, and D+ Photochromic lenses — a proprietary bit of District Vision ingenuity intended to adapt to the light conditions — the duo of glasses created with66°North epitomize District Vision own innovations.

This meeting of well-matched minds releases on October 23 at 66°North and District Vision's websites, well-timed for inclement weather season.

"District Vision’s eyewear is second to none, and we really wanted to work with someone who offered exceptional quality," says Óskarsson. "They pay as much attention to detail to their eyewear as we pay to our technical outerwear."

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