The North Face Japan partners with SASHIKO GALS to create a limited-edition collection that fuses Japanese craftsmanship, biotechnological innovation and collectible design envisioned for the future.
Contemporary fashion finds new paths when past and future engage in dialogue without hierarchy. That is precisely the starting point of the new collaboration between The North Face Japan and SASHIKO GALS, an artisan collective that has taken the traditional sashiko technique into unexpected territory: high-performance technical outerwear. The result is not a decorative capsule, but a series of pieces that transform outdoor utility into wearable art.
The conceptual core of the collection lies in an unprecedented historical reinterpretation. For the first time, the iconic 1992 Nuptse silhouette is reimagined through the hanten, the traditional Japanese winter coat. This fusion results in a hybrid garment with a relaxed, zipless structure that fully retains The North Face’s signature thermal insulation. The piece is not driven by nostalgia, but by cultural evolution applied to contemporary design.
Innovation moves a step further with the introduction of Brewed Protein, a biotechnological fibre developed in laboratories by Spiber, petroleum-free and designed as a sustainable alternative to conventional synthetic materials. The BP Nuptse Hanten thus becomes a manifesto of how technical fashion can progress towards a more responsible model without sacrificing performance or aesthetics.
The capsule is completed with the BP Nuptse Down Sashiko Booties and heavyweight cotton T-shirts, all unified by the same artisanal language. Each piece is hand-stitched using the sashiko technique, ensuring that no two items are identical. The visible stitches act as a trace of the process — small textile “scars” that turn each garment into a unique and collectible object.
More than a one-off collaboration, the project proposes a new reading of contemporary luxury — one that values time, the human hand, advanced technology and sustainability on equal terms. The collection will be available in limited edition from 27 December, exclusively at The North Face Alter in Harajuku, Tokyo, reinforcing Japan as the epicentre of some of the most advanced expressions of global design today.
