Winners and Losers: SKIMS x The North Face
I have thoughts! Plus a deep dive on Merino wool and more...
What’s it called when everyone is thinking about the same thing at the same time? A mind meld? Synchronicity? Basic? Anyway, I had a long post about base layers queued up and then Kim Kardashian had to go and drop her SKIMS x The North Face collaboration in the middle of the week. I got quite a few texts about it. Kim Kardashian, love her or hate her, is great at getting people talking.
Kim’s release comes at a time when ski fashion seems hotter (cooler?) than ever. Even Zara is looking to capitalize on the trend, selling “high performance” ski pants for $139. (I don’t even want to think about what goes into making that price possible.)
A few weeks back, I chatted with Chloe Harlig of Slopeside about the skiwear boom and she mentioned that all the brands she’s been talking to have mentioned investing heavily in their base layer programs. It’s good merchandising. Base layers are not only a strong entryway product but the repeat purchase rate is better than outerwear. You could buy a new base layer set every season, but you’re (hopefully) not replacing a ski coat more than once every couple of years. With this SKIMS release, Chloe’s comment feels more than a little prophetic.
From a base layer perspective, this collaboration makes a lot of sense. Kim’s certainly more than earned her community’s trust when it comes to body-conscious apparel. Despite a rocky start1, SKIMS has done a lot of good work around diversity and inclusive sizing – an area where a lot of brands do the bare minimum. And indeed, the collection’s unique selling point is a better fit. Both SKIMS’ and North Face’s landing pages emphasize it: “The North Face’s performance fabrics meet SKIMS signature fit and colors” (Skims) and “Reimagined styles with an innovative fit to take you from first tracks to après.” (TNF.)
Color, or as SKIMS puts it, “your monochromatic mountain look” is the other selling point. Though not a very safe one – as one commenter on a video stated: “The first thing I clocked is how will someone find me in a ski-well.” But Kim is savvy, other than the black, if you want these looks to work, you’re going have to buy the full set. There’s not a lot of skiwear that goes with beige.
All that being said, this collaboration feels like a W for SKIMS and an L for The North Face. SKIMS gets access to a new market and a chance to underscore the technical side of their products. But The North Face just continues to erode their connection to mountain performance. (I am also salty that SKIMS’ other most recent collaboration was with Dolce & Gabbana, a brand that everyone seems to forget is notoriously problematic.) You could argue that The North Face is too big to care, but I was texting with a friend who interviewed there last year for a marketing job, and they told me the following:
“I wasn’t too nervous making it this far in the process but I knew I had a strong POV on what I believed the brand needed. The interview quickly delved into both executives (the CMO and VP of Brand) going into great length about how they’ve lost their core outdoor consumer, how they’re no longer credible with the core outdoorist, and their specific concern over losing market share with core skiers and snowboarders. The CMO went on to say she felt that ‘too many collabs, especially with fashion brands, has weakened their credibility as a technical performance outerwear brand with products made for 8k meter peaks.’ The open role was eventually dissolved during the interview process but it’s funny to think almost a year to the day from that interview that TNF launched probably the most fast-fashion collab2 to date with SKIMS.”
At a time when (admittedly smaller) competitors like Mamut are doubling down on their performance bona fides, The North Face can’t seem to quit these fashion collaborations. Time will tell if the strategy will pay off. In October, parent company VF Corp. reported that The North Face posted a 3% decline in reported revenue compared to the same quarter in 2023. Of course, if The North Face has been struggling, SKIMS has been blazing hot, with annual revenue more that’s than quintupled over the last three years, a value of around $4 billion, and talks of an IPO. So while core skiers may be rolling their eyes at the collaboration, perhaps Kim Kardashian’s monochromatic mountainwear is just the shot in the arm The North Face needs.
Either way, ski friends – please report back if and when you spot these looks on the slopes!
Let’s Talk about Merino Wool
As mentioned above, I was planning on making this week’s newsletter all about layering with Merino wool. The idea arose because I’m a member of a group chat called “Moms I Know.” It’s a repository for questions like “What are we doing about micro-plastics?” and “Should I get the Forme bra”?3 This week a question came up about how to avoid smelly sports bras post-partum and Merino wool was proffered as a solution. I was a little surprised that a number of the “moms” – all of whom are athletes – didn’t train in Merino. Maybe it’s a New England thing? One mom told me “You know how I am not an East coaster? Sports wool is completely baffling to me.” Seven years at Tracksmith turned me into a bit of a Merino evangelist and I think I had just started to assume that everyone knew you should be layering for your workouts with wool.
The topic feels timely, given it’s been 20 degrees for my morning run in Boston for the past five days. My husband is a maniac about moths, so I’ve dug my Merino base layers out of the vacuum-sealed bags he makes me store them in and am back in the groove of wearing the same two Brighton Base Layers on rotation. I mentioned in my “What I Wear to Work Out” post that this is my go-to, not only for running but for skiing too. Tracksmith was an early mover in positioning Merino for running, and the Brighton has been a best-seller since its debut in 2016.
But let’s back up, in case you, like my mom friends, are not a Merino for workouts convert. Here’s why it’s a game-changer:
Temperature regulation - As a natural fiber Merino wool is really good at adapting to both hot and cold temperatures. It keeps you cool when it’s hot and warm when it’s cold. What makes it such a great base layer material is the fact that it wicks moisture without getting soggy and icy cold from sweat, which is a killer when you’re five miles into a chilly long run.
Odor – The lanolin in Merino wool helps fight odors. This is what sparked the wool convo in my Moms chat. It’s a game-changer for folks who don’t like to do tons of laundry. If you hang a baselayer to try after a run or ski, it will dry out without smelling so it’s good to go the next day.
Versatility – Here’s the deal. No matter what the brands tell you, you don’t have to run in running-specific Merino or ski in ski-specific Merino or whatever your outdoor activity of choice is. A lot of these pieces work just as well for different workouts. Invest in a couple of solid options and you should be set for a good while.
The one big consideration with Merino base layers is the amount of actual wool in the product. 100% Merino products are super warm, but they’re also pretty fragile – think about caring for your favorite cashmere sweater. The addition of synthetic fibers enhances performance, but it’s a delicate dance – too much nylon and not enough Merino and you start to negate the benefits listed above. For reference, the Brighton is 52% Merino Wool, 28% Nylon, and 20% Polyester. I asked ChatGPT (no shame) and they told me the best balance is around 80/20 wool to nylon, which makes the end material lighter, quicker to dry, and more durable. Sometimes you’ll also see brands list the micron of the wool, which refers to the fiber’s thickness. At its most basic, the lower the micron (usually around 16-18) the softer and more premium. An ultra-fine micron wool is going to feel a lot nicer against your skin.
I wanted to talk to some other athletes about the Merino they rely on and put a call out to my community. Here are their recommendations. For sake of comparison, I’m listing the available Merino content and the micron (if the brand shares it.) I am not listing the GSM (weight) because I got tired.
Smart Wool - 100% Merino wool
Halfdays – slightly bold they put Merino in the product name given it’s 48.3% Wool, 44.9% Bamboo Fibre, 4% Spandex, 2.8% Polyamide.
Kari Traa – 100% Merino wool, 19.5 micron
FP Movement - another one in the less than 50% wool but labeling it as wool category” 17% Polyester, 35% Polyamide, 41% Wool, 7% Elastane
Ridge Merino - 100% Merino wool, 18.5 mircon
Tracksmith - 52% Merino Wool, 28% Nylon, 20% Polyester, 16.5 micron (my audience is probably biased but the Brighton came up more than anything else.)
Branwyn – 100% Merino, 17.5 micron. I was recommended their bras and underwear too, which helps solve the issue that kicked off this deep dive: smelly, post-partum sports bras.
Oiselle – 100% Merino wool
Engel – 70% organic wool, 30% silk. Blending the wool with silk helps with softness, durability, temperature regulation and moisture wicking.
What did I miss?
Quick Thoughts
Things that Drew My Eye or Ire…
The BAA showcased the 2025 Boston Marathon Jackets by Adidas and as always, the comment section is … unhinged. People get incredibly, unreasonably mad if the design doesn’t meet their expectations. As the kids say, go touch grass. (I have so many thoughts on the personality cult of Boston Marathon runners and most of them aren’t nice.)
Strava released their Year in Sport (aka Spotify Wrapped for jocks). On the fashion front, “blue is the new black” and GenZ and Millennials remain divided on crew socks vs no-shows. Snooze.
Hoka dropped a host of pro women in their 30s from NAZ Elite and folks are decrying the ageism. Alison Wade has the full story, plus some comments from women who may be rethinking their Cliftons as a result.
On her podcast Fashion People Lauren Sherman came in hot for Vuori, stating their store was empty during Black Friday weekend and asking “Who wears this stuff?” I’ve expressed my confusion with the brand before, so maybe it’s time for a deep dive.
The new District Vison x New Balance looks cool, but what stood out to me is the art direction by Katharina Korbjuhn who comes from the world of high fashion. She “assisted the debut of Chemena Kamali at Chloé and … led the relaunch of the couture house Schiaparelli and executed three global campaigns for the Italian Luxury Tod’s Group…” DV is no stranger to melding fashion and sport, but it’s always interesting to see creatives with such high fashion chops working in running.
Speaking of elevated (or is it earthy?) ways to present running…
Away is getting into the F1 mix, partnering with F1 Academy to support wild card and barrier-breaking female driver Logan Hannah.
Nike is dropping a “player-exclusive” colorway of the with G.T. Hustle 3 with Paige Bueckers.
At least, The New York Times got this right.
SKIMS was originally named Kimono, but Kim wisely changed the name after backlash.
Take it or leave it but a 0 on this Fashion Accountability Report is… not great.
Folks are saying yes – it does improve posture, enough that your mother-in-law might notice and compliment you on it.
Great piece, Lee! Perfect timing as Tracksmith also releases a running bib for NDO. lol.
Also, our (mutual) friend does PR for Northface and the Skimms collab sold out in 2hrs in NYC apparently.
I recently started a brand that offers 100% merino base layers and wool sweaters. They are totally natural with not synthetics, either undyed or naturally dyed, and the merino was grown regeneratively in the US. https://shopmairin.com/