KAWS x The North Face Drops This Week — Are You Ready?
This article was published January 5 and updated on February 15
It's true – no KAWS:HOLIDAY is quite complete without The North Face. Or, at least, that's what the duo's upcoming "KAWS XX" collection would suggest.
At this point, I'd go as far as to suggest that we're living in KAWS' world.
Seriously, the artist's imprint is everywhere. If you really wanted to live a complete KAWS lifestyle, it wouldn't be all that hard; thanks to collaborations with Reeses Puffs cereal, CDG — on both apparel and perfume — sacai, Supreme, and Nike, all of which went down within the past 12 months.
As 2022 rolls into motion, slowly picking up steam, the frequent stream of collaborations refuses to falter with the arrival of KAWS' first-ever The North Face collection, delivered as an extension of the latest KAWS:HOLIDAY installation.
Getting a TNF team-up under your belt feels like an important check on the streetwear to-do list – Brain Dead had one, Supreme has what feels like hundreds, Extra Butter, Dover Street Market, even Gucci (twice even), so it makes sense that serial collaborator KAWS would partner with TNF.
It does seem odd, however, that KAWS would partner with TNF given the outdoor company's ongoing legal battle with Futura, a fellow street artist.
Either way, following an initial tease that KAWS uploaded to Instagram, the full line-up for the KAWS x TNF XX collection has been revealed.
Though initially expected to be a selection of 1994 Mountain Light Jackets in at least three distinct colorways, the full collection also includes a series of trippy multi-colored Nuptse jackets, Freeride fleeces, tracksuits, down pants, a balaclava, t-shirts, beanies, and bags.
Each takes on an abstract camouflage with boldly contrasting panels, which display the artist's instantly recognizable 'XX' motif parallel to the TNF logo.
"I’ve always admired The North Face iconic silhouettes — I have had them in my winter rotation for years," KAWS said in a statement.
"The blocking, stitching, and details on their coats really lent themselves to the way I structure a painting, so I treated the garments in our collaborative collection like a blank canvas. And I enjoyed exploring their extensive color and material archive as I would a new paint set."
Why wait? KAWS x The North Face "KAWS XX" collection is set to roll out through an official mini program on The North Face's dedicated KAWS website, stockists like Dover Street Market and MATCHESFASHION.COM, and over 80 other retail stores starting January 7 in Asia and February 17, with prices ranging from $55 to $550.
