North Face 2011 Annual Report Download - page 8

  | 
The new Vans® OTW Collection blends street and
athletic styling to create a new line of sophisticated
footwear that expands the brand’s offerings beyond
skate performance. Vans is telling the story of the line
using advocates from the youth creative community
such as Hong Kong-based toy designer Chris Kong,
Parisian photographer and filmmaker Dimitri Coste and
GRAMMY®-winning recording artist Lupe Fiasco.
The Alomar takes styling cues from Vans’
Classic Chukka Boot and infuses them
with the fashionable aspects of a modern,
slimmed-down high top to create a shoe
that pushes the boundaries between
skate and street fashion.
Vans®  revenues, surpassing
the  billion mark for the rst
time in the brand’s history
Similarly, Vans collaborates with the leaders of
youth culture to help guide its brand messages
and products. “Collaboration is important to
today’s global youth, from Hitwise® music and
videos to website designs,” says Rendle. “We
embrace it as a way to open doors to new ideas,
new materials, new distribution, new marketing
and, ultimately, new consumers.” Collaborations
with action sports athletes, designers and iconic
brands have helped Vans develop some of its
most successful products, like the new Vans®
OTW Collection.
successful product ideas. Working in partnership
with leading fabrics and materials engineers,
designers and technicians from e North Face
create prototypes that will meet the high standards
of the brand’s athletes for expedition testing. For
example, e North Face® athletes tested multiple
prototypes of a new tent during seven expeditions
on six continents in a variety of hot and cold climate
conditions. One of the latest innovations that has
come out of the Physiologic process is FlashDry™
technology, which works with your body to rapidly
evaporate moisture and regulate core temperature.
 |  
Gasherbrum II
Karakoram Range
Pakistan
8,035 m (26,362 ft)
13th tallest peak
in the world
35°45’30” 76°39’12”
 
—
Vice President &
Group President—Outdoor
& Action Sports Americas
On February 2, 2011, Simone Moro (Italy), Denis Urubko
(Kazahkstan), and Cory Richards (U.S.) achieved the first-
ever winter ascent of Gasherbrum II. Simone Moro is
the first man to reach three 8,000-meter winter summits.
Cory Richards is the first American to reach an 8,000-meter
peak in winter, which earned him recognition as one of
National Geographic magazine’s “Adventurers of the Year.”
The stories of expeditions such as these reach millions
of outdoor enthusiasts, and continually demonstrate The
North Face® brand’s commitment to creating the world’s
most advanced technical apparel.
Authenticity
and aspiration
are critical
attributes
that enable our
brands to form a
deep connection
with their core
consumers.
his tale of two extremes— your
head in the clouds and your feet
rmly planted on the ground—
is how VF builds billion-dollar
brands. It’s a combination of
creating products and telling stories
that capture the authenticity that comes from
truly understanding who consumers really are
and the aspirations of who they want to be.
“Authenticity and aspiration are critical attributes
that enable our brands to form a deep connection
with their core consumers,” says Steve Rendle,
Vice President and Group President—Outdoor
& Action Sports Americas. “is connection is
created by years of successful product innovation
that consistently exceeds the needs of consumers.
Our associations with top athletes, artists and
designers and our active participation in events
and expeditions further demonstrate our brands’
commitment to our consumers’ passions.”
’     
could also be called the activity-based portfolio.
Brands such as e North Face®, Vans®, Reef ® and
lucy® touch a set of consumers who participate in
activities that express and enhance their lifestyle,
whether it’s climbing, skiing, skateboarding, surng,
traveling, running, yoga or training. And the
newly acquired Timberland ® brand’s heritage of
boot craftsmanship and environmental stewardship
has further strengthened the portfolio. e
Timberland ® and e North Face® brands’
commitment to helping consumers enjoy the
outdoors translates naturally into a desire by both
brands to protect and preserve the environment for
future generations. “We know that our consumers
are passionate about dierent activities,” says
Rendle. “Our brands have a unique ability to
provide products and experiences that enable
them to fulll and grow that passion every day.”
For e North Face, the theme Athlete Tested,
Expedition Proven™ is more than a marketing
slogan. It’s a bedrock principle that guides a
multitude of business decisions, from product
innovation to brand planning to corporate and
social responsibility. One example of this is
Physiologic, the brand’s athlete-driven innova-
tion process that turns raw materials into ideas,
technology and, ultimately, superior products.
It’s a partnership between product designers who
innovate in the lab and athletes who provide
real-world feedback. It all starts with members
of e North Face® athlete team, who push the
limits of their equipment while they push the
limits of human potential. eir gear evaluations
and input sessions have provided the seeds of many