North Face 2012 Annual Report Download - page 6

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Respect for nature is deeply rooted in Chinese culture. But during the
last few decades, the country’s major population shift from country to
city has distanced its citizens from the unspoiled environments they love.
“Consumers lack the knowledge,” says Lu Guo, Director, Strategy,
Asia Pacific. “They have no idea about where to go, who to go with, what
to wear or how to protect themselves. This offers a great opportunity for
The North Face® brand.”
To chart the way forward in China, the brand is looking to its past. Since
its inception, The North Face® brand has built a community of outdoor
participation through education, with veteran athletes teaching beginners.
Today, The North Face® brand is building a new community of outdoor
enthusiasts and connecting them via a powerful online platform.
In 2008, The North Face® brand assembled its first China Athlete Team,
a group of 12 elite rock climbers, mountaineers, skiers and trail runners.
With the brand’s support, in 2012 the team’s leader, renowned Chinese
mountaineer Sun Bin, started the Summit Outdoor School to educate
leaders of local outdoor clubs around the country. The school trained 300
guides in 2012, and has aggressive plans to educate 3,000 guides each
year by 2017.
To connect beginner athletes with local clubs, The North Face® brand is
utilizing Quyeba.com, an online platform that blends social networking,
gaming, instruction, inspiration and e-commerce. Users can go on
“real-world” outdoor quests to achieve badges that build their online
identity. They can also share photos and stories and meet other
outdoor enthusiasts to plan excursions. Within two weeks of its launch,
The North Face® brand had 10,000 registered users on Quyeba.com,
and 400 of China’s professional outdoor clubs started interacting and
promoting trips on the platform.
For more than 40 years, The North Face® brand athletes have helped
lead the brand into new markets and new successes.
“Pushing our boundaries, both mental and physical, in extreme
environments is what we do,” says Conrad Anker, The North Face®
brand global athlete team captain. “To go where no one has gone
before — be it an unclimbed peak, a fresh ski trick or a level of
endurance — are the possibilities that drive us. This same dedication to
breaking new ground is embodied in our product line. Designing the
lightest, strongest and most durable product is an ongoing journey.”
ABS Vest: The Industry’s
First Avalanche
Airbag Apparel System
ABS uses a nitrogen gas canister to inflate two high-
volume airbags that keep the wearer on the surface
of an avalanche, visible to rescuers.
The ABS system has received numerous awards
and high praise in press coverage on the TODAY Show,
Popular Mechanics, Men’s Journal and Outside
magazine, registering more than 32 million impressions.
Most importantly, the ABS system has proven to
significantly improve safety in the backcountry, with a
95 percent success rate in real-world use.
Thermoball™ Fabric:
The Next Evolution
Of Insulation
Thermoball™ fabric is a new synthetic material that
combines the low weight, warmth and compression of
down with the wet-weather insulating performance
of synthetics.
Unlike traditional synthetic insulation, Thermoball™
fabric structure mimics down clusters, trapping heat
within small air pockets to retain warmth. Thermoball™
fabric provides warmth equivalent to a 600-fill goose
jacket made of the same fabric and quilt construction,
but with less weight and bulk.
3 NEXT-
GENERATION
PRODUCTS.
AVAILABLE NOW.
FlashDry™ Fabric Technology:
Industry-Leading Technology
For Moisture Management
And Temperature Regulation
FlashDry™ fabric technology uses a microporous particle
additive that accelerates moisture removal away from the skin
and speeds the drying time of the fabric. It lets users stay drier
and warmer, so they can stay outside longer in a wider range
of weather conditions. Yet — FlashDry™ fabric technology
doesn’t add weight or bulk, and it never washes or wears out.
FlashDry™ fabric technology is incorporated into more than
100 of The North Face® products — base layers, fleeces, shells
and accessories for running, snow sports, climbing and
hiking. This fabric technology launched worldwide in 2012.