Brand: The North Face Purple Label
Season: Spring/Summer 2022
Release Date: Early 2022
Buy: SORA, DeepInside, Digital Mountain, REGGIE SHOP — no proxy service needed
Editor's Notes: In times of turmoil, we turn to sources of comfort to confer a sense of stability. Thank god for The North Face Purple Label, which has just revealed its SS22 collection, remaining a pillar of reliably aspirational imagery.
Directed by Eiichiro Homma — who recently oversaw some impressive imagery for nanamica's own SS22 collection, his own line — The North Face Purple Label is one of the most-coveted Japanese brands out there right now. Ask even casual streetwear consumers about the brand and they'll likely espouse on its insanely stylish lookbooks and covetable collabs.
This season, TNFPL again takes on a poetic, loose theme: SS22 is informed by "Heart of the Wind," whatever that means.
More concretely, the sub-label is inspired by "heavy-duty," a style of Japanese menswear that gained relevance in the country's post-Ivy menswear scene as laid out in W. David Marx's essential book, Ametora.
Basically, think outdoor gear informed by '70s-era late-hippie sensibilities: early Patagonia, Crescent Down Works, Rocky Mountain Featherbed, and even The North Face itself.
The North Face Purple Label SS22 thus employs plenty of big, bold colors and old-school flair, with its usual emphasis on easy, slouchy cuts.
Tie-dyed tees, denim overshirts, OG sportswear hoodies, retro parkas with leather pull-tabs, flight pants inspired by vintage militaria: it's all here. Expect a few TNFPL staples, as usual, like daypacks and wide, tapered climbing-style trousers with built-in belts.
Even with those familiar faces, this is an especially retro lineup, which makes sense. It's comforting to put nostalgia in the driving seat and allow it to steer you towards sepia-toned memories of the good old days, when life wasn't so stressful.
