The North Face Made Its Own Salomons
The North Face is leveling up its footwear selection with the release of its Vectic Taraval Breeze sneaker and it looks like the brand might've gone to another well-known outdoor label for inspiration.
The shoe's sporty shape, bungee cord laces, and technical ridged sole bear a resemblance to similar summer-specific outdoor shoes from Salomon. And that’s no criticism, Salomon is arguably the best-in-class when it comes to great-looking sneaker-sandal hybrids such as this.
The shoe takes the shape of a typical outdoor sneaker and incorporates some open panels for breathability on the upper, making it a trail-ready model for the upcoming warmer weather.
Available in three colorways (off-white, all-black, and a gorgeous mix of brown hues), the Vectic Taraval Breeze is set to release soon as part of The North Face’s spring/summer 2024 collection.
The North Face is a brand I mostly associate with jackets. This is partly because walking around London for two minutes without seeing one of its Nuptse Puffer Jackets is virtually impossible, partly because, like most outdoor-wear brands, outerwear is its specialty.
Scroll through The North Face's Instagram page and the vast majority of its posts are highlighting, in some way or another, how good its jackets are. And this has meant that its excellent sneakers, for the most part, have gone unnoticed.
Its line of shoes with Vectiv technology (a combination of a stabilizing footplate, rocker midsole geometry, and a high-traction outsole), for example, includes many trail-ready sneakers similar to those we often wax lyrical about. And this latest addition to that series might be the best of the lot.
The Vectic Taraval Breeze is in good company, joining the latest drop from the TNF and UNDERCOVER as part of its Vectiv sneaker line. With releases such as this one, alongside similarly good-looking outdoor sneakers such as its Glenclyffe model, The North Face’s footwear selection is not to be slept on.
