The renowned French outdoor brand Lafuma, with over 80 years of history, has further deepened its collaboration with The North Face this year. Together, they have launched a series of new products embodying the FiT (Fashion into Technology) concept, with the standout being the Lafuma F.X intelligent modular tech shoes. The industry widely believes that this product line has elevated the concept of fashionable outdoor living to new heights.
Moreover, since officially entering the Chinese market at the end of 2010, Lafuma has been the sponsor of the “Endless Experience” – The North Face Outdoor Dreams Realization event for three consecutive years. This speaks volumes about the mutual commitment between the two brands in their mainland China partnership. In the 8th edition of the event in 2014, Lafuma once again captured widespread attention as the main sponsor of the most significant registration platform – the Sina sub-site.
The collaboration between these two giants has a long history. In 1990, they jointly launched the first Gore-Tex® jacket in Lafuma’s history, named “Sangar.” Priced at less than 150 euros at the time, it sold 200,000 units. This strong start laid a solid foundation for their future cooperation. Lafuma’s partnership with The North Face is also reflected in the extensive use of GORE-TEX® and WINDSTOPPER® fabrics across many of its products, covering apparel, footwear, and accessories. Furthermore, since the 1990s, Lafuma has worked with The North Face to develop recyclable materials, contributing to the reduction of global CO₂ emissions and waste. Thanks to these solid foundations, their current collaboration in mainland China requires almost no adjustment period.
The “Endless Experience” – The North Face Outdoor Dreams Realization event originates from the Shackleton Tilman (Shipton Tilman) Exploration Fund Award established by The North Face. Eric Shipton, hailed by mountaineering historians as the “uncrowned king of Everest,” discovered the southern route to Everest’s summit and achieved pioneering expeditions and climbs in Africa, India, the Karakoram Range, and Patagonia. To honor Shipton’s spirit of exploration — to climb, discover, and explore the blank spots on the map — the American company The North Face created the Shackleton Tilman (Shipton Tilman) Exploration Fund Award in his name and that of his partner Tilman. Starting in 2007, The North Face launched the “Endless Experience” – The North Face Outdoor Dreams Realization event for outdoor enthusiasts across China.
The 8th edition of the “Endless Experience” – The North Face Outdoor Dreams Realization event received a total of 16,103 travel proposals, including 8,678 outstanding ones and 7,425 “New Explorers’ Dream Destinations.” These spanned various categories such as mountaineering, hiking, trekking, road trips, and photography. The event featured the richest and highest-quality content in its history. The Sina sub-site served as the largest traffic source for submissions. This is closely tied to the extraordinary influence of both the Lafuma brand and The North Face.
From the data, the proportion of traditional major activities like mountaineering is gradually declining, while more “enthusiast-friendly” options such as hiking, trekking, and photography are becoming increasingly popular. The outdoor leisure trend advocated by Lafuma is also well reflected here. After all, high-end outdoor activities can sometimes be too niche, whereas outdoor pursuits accessible to everyone possess enduring vitality.
It is understood that Lafuma and The North Face will continue to collaborate across a broader range of fields in the future. For more updates, please follow Lafuma’s official website. Stay tuned for what’s to come.
Additionally, to check out the latest co-branded products from Lafuma and The North Face, you can visit Lafuma’s official Tmall flagship store at http://lafuma.tmall.com, where surprises and new arrivals await.