The North Face Made the Shoe of Summer Even More Peak
The shoes of the summer are approach shoes. Which is good news for The North Face, because it specializes in these low-profile climbing sneakers.
The new approach to hyped shoes is, ironically, approach shoes. These thin, rugged sneakers used by climbers on tricky terrain leading to the main ascent have become one of the essential sneakers of the summer thanks to skaters, of all people.
Burgeoning skate label Village PM hit the jackpot with its first-ever sneaker, a skate shoe made in the image of an approach shoe, recently confirmed by data to be the world’s hottest skate shoe. It’s triggered labels from LOEWE to Zara, the latter albeit in partnership with one of menswear’s most influential low-key designers, to put their spin on the low-profile mountaineering silhouette. But The North Face isn’t jumping on a trend, it’s been doing approach shoes since time immemorial.
Outdoorsy climbing clobber is The North Face’s bread and butter, so it’s got plenty of its Verto approach shoes (retailing at $190) to go around. And while they boast loads of climbing-specific tech, they also have that low-profile silhouette and extended asymmetric lacing that fashion’s favorite approach shoes are going for. What’s new is that The North Face is actually going fashion-first on its footwear.
After discovering a wide range of stylish The North Face sneakers at the brand’s recent collection preview, we were forced to consider: “Has The North Face always been this good at sneakers? Or are we just looking at sneakers differently?”
The answer is, yes, of course. The approach shoe hype shows these sneakers in a different light but these are an especially handsome variation of the classic shape.
The North Face’s athlete team offered input to ensure the Verto was expedition-ready, and TNF notes how they were especially keen on the suede’s “trustworthy durability.” What’s nice is that these functional details also make them look quite good. The suede is also one of my favorite features, but for different reasons. The suede adds some brilliant texture to the sneakers, counteracting the high-tech no-sew overlays and utilitarian rubber toe cap through softness.
It’s one of those brilliant moments where a functional shoe wasn’t built for fashionable purposes — like the Mephisto walking shoe and ASICS’ BBQ Sandals — yet still looks so flippin’ good.
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