The North Face Has Never Looked Frillier — Or Better
Cecilie Bahnsen has made a cottage industry of killer collaborations. The Danish designer's The North Face, ASICS, and Yoshida-Porter partnerships are so good that they escape the gravitational pull of her already strong seasonal collections to become forces unto themselves.
No shame in that: when you create stuff so good that it practically supersedes yourself, you're really onto something.
And Bahnsen certainly is. Her Spring/Summer 2026 The North Face collaboration is so good that it uplifts a strong collection into something more.
Additionally anchored by a tremendously cool new ASICS slip-on sneaker, Bahnsen's SS26 TNF partnership debuted on the runway in early October, and stood out by fitting in.
Like, it's no small feat that Bahnsen's beautiful outdoor gear slots in so neatly with her otherwise coquetteish clothing.
These are clothes ostensibly intended for trekking and yet, through the power of 3D floral applique, tonal paint-jobs, and gentle revision, Bahnsen bent these TNF classics to her will.
This is perhaps her strongest showing yet, encompassing cargo-pocketed hiking pants, opaque windbreakers, and hardcore harnesses. And yet it all had the delicate touch of Bahnsen's typical fare, here represented by her signature matelassé dresses seamlessly integrated with The North Face layering pieces and bags.
Bahnsen's collaborations are made particularly strong by this thoughtful integration. So many designer team-ups purport to organically hybridize disparate worlds by Bahnsen is one of the rare talents to actually get it.
It's not just that Bahnsen blends TNF into her world but how Bahnsen thoughtfully bridges worlds to make it all cohesive. More than that, she makes mountain parkas and trail vests feel new without making them weirdo statement pieces, all the awe without any shock.
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