Welcome to my corner of the internet.
In the previous post, we talked about the marketing trend for 2024, and how companies are increasingly embracing sustainable marketing. So today, I would like to talk to you about some of them, and personally, my favourites; The North Face, especially one of its founders Doug Tompkins.
Since the age of 17, Doug became passionate about skiing and climbing. In those years, in the 1960s and beyond, there were no specialized sports brands like there are now. So back in 1966, Doug, along with one of his closest friends, Dick ‘Hap’ Klopp, created a brand specialized in mountain clothing and accessories, which they eventually named ‘The North Face’. They chose this name because, in mountaineering in the northern hemisphere, the north face of a mountain is the coldest and has the harshest weather conditions, especially in winter, making it more difficult to climb.
But Doug didn’t stop there. Years later, with his first wife, he created what we now know as Esprit. Doug created the two brands to produce quality clothing. The difference with The North Face was that Esprit was aimed at a more ‘fashionable’ audience, while ‘The North Face’ was aimed at a sports-passionate audience.
In the late 1980s, Doug became increasingly interested in environmental activism and disillusioned with the promotion of consumer culture, leading him to sell his part of Esprit to his ex-wife to create the Foundation for Deep Ecology and the Conservation Land Trust. Shortly after, he moved to southern Chile to focus on conserving the Patagonian region, creating parks like Pumalin, Corcovado, and Yendegaia.
What a fascinating story Doug has! From a young age, I loved The North Face brand, and being born in a mountain town,…
When I heard Doug’s story, I fell even more in love with the brand.
For now, I’ll let you rest, but Doug’s story and his legacy don’t end here… Discover in the next blog what The North Face and Patagonia Inc have in common. Hint, it’s not just that they are both famous sports clothing brands; love is also at play.
Cheers to a greener world and new beginnings,
Aura 🌿
