BEHIND THE SCENES: The North Face & END.’s REMADE Collection

Part of the brand’s Renewed sustainability platform, The North Face REMADE collection gives used gear a second chance. Each item starts out as something else – a trusted jacket or timeworn tee – before being repaired by hand and combined with other upcycled components to create new, one-of-a-kind styles. END. was invited to spend time in Glasgow to partner with The North Face’s expert designers and create some custom pieces of its own.  

Sara Carney, Sarah Thompson and Lorenzo Brunetti of END.’s design team worked alongside The North Face counterparts Tara Shrestha and Lucrezia Mattioli on all aspects of garment construction, including selecting discarded product, deconstructing it and sewing it together again to create something new. “It’s something I’ve always had an interest in and decided to study closely at university”, said Sara about the deconstruction and re-construction process. “Throwing out the rule book and being completely free to create is incredibly rewarding”.  

On the importance of initiatives like The North Face’s REMADE collections, Lorenzo Brunetti added: “In a world where there’s a problem with landfill and waste, the way forward is to adapt and repair garments so they can be worn for longer. That doesn’t mean to say we can’t buy new things — we just need to think about the way we buy clothes going forward, whether we really need to chuck garments out rather than just fixing them”. 

Echoing this sentiment when speaking about the circular philosophy of the collection, Sara Carney said: “We don’t need more product in the world but we can be more conscious and thoughtful in the way that we create and consume. I think going forward, we can’t afford not to be. The way in which we worked with The North Face is a great example of how to do it”.

Asked about the key focuses of the REMADE collection, Lucrezia Mattioli had this to say: “This project really helped us understand how much waste we really have in fashion and also how beautifully we can create something from it with just creativity, knowledge and a good dose of problem solving. Of course it wasn’t an easy process, but that’s just a little part of the effort we need to put into making the fashion industry more circular and less impactful on our ecosystem”.

Sharing her opinion on what was most enjoyable about working on the collection, Sarah Thompson was unequivocal: “Having the opportunity to be super hands on while making these one-off pieces was really inspiring and broadened my knowledge of both pattern cutting and garment construction. The problem solving part of the project was something I especially enjoyed, figuring out what worked well and what didn’t”.

Tara Shrestha struck a similar tone when describing the creation process and project overall: “This project took a lot of hands-on and mental creative effort. It wasn’t about creating a sketch or idea and handing it over for someone else to cut and make from scratch. It was full on, coming with tactical and tangible design ideas that we needed to execute within the working boundaries of the damaged garments and our time frames. The solution-oriented mindset and get-it-done attitude came out from the full team to make some truly thoughtful and unique pieces. Overall I loved seeing this true passion come out from everyone involved.”

More information surrounding The North Face Renewed platform can be found at the following link: www.thenorthfacerenewed.co.uk.

The North Face & END.’s REMADE collection will live on END. Launches from Friday 8th December, launching Thursday 14th December.