THE LARIMER COLLECTION
The Larimer Collection, originally intended to be called “Jackson Hole”, is the commercial collection created for and based on the functional needs of The North Face athlete, Xavier De La Rue and his planned “Three Poles Expedition”. De La Rue wanted a boot that he could wear while traveling to what he called “The Three Poles”. The Three Poles Project was an expedition that focused on the three largest bodies of fresh water on the planet: the North Pole, Antarctica, and the Himalayas. The Larimer Collection is the footwear that will focus on everyday usage while traveling and recapping the day’s adventure.
Inspiration
What does one wear between adventures? How do you find peace of mind while preparing for the next journey? Comfort and familiarity was the goal when designing the Larimer Collection. The creation of silhouettes that focused on the simpler moments of life, the time spent with friends, the voyage to the destination, or simply doing nothing at all was the objective. The styling needed to be approachable, intuitive, and include a performance feature set that works for the user in a multitude of environments.
Initial Exploration
The initial design thought was to create a multi-style collection that would leverage The North Face visual aesthetic as well as highlighting the use of brand proud materials. Materials such as Base Camp, a PU coated ballistic used on the Base Camp duffel, is known globally for it’s durability and visual iconography. Textured ripstops used on the iconic Nuptse Parka along with a mixture of waterproof leathers, suedes, and ballistic meshes have been incorporated into all styles within the collection.
Initial Design Direction
The initial concepts of the Jackson Hole Collection focused on creating a multi-shoe collection centered around a small material palette consisting of full grain leathers, ripstop nylons, ballistic meshes, and suedes. To forge unique silhouettes that would create stand-alone designs, a variety of collar heights and visual aesthetics were implemented, but when assembled together these designs created a cohesive collection.
Direction Refinement
“From the Neighborhood to the Forest”, was the new thinking for this footwear collection. The team felt that since the “Three Polls Expedition” would no longer be going forward, the Jackson Hole designs needed to adjust the aesthetics from a hiking boot to a hiking sneaker. This adjustment would connect to the consumers based in cold weather environments and who experience extended periods of time both indoors as well as outdoors. This solution provided a footwear collection that would allow the user to be protected and feel comfortable within both environments.
Direction Finalization
The Larimer Collection was reduced down to two designs, a Mid Hiker and Chukka silhouette. Changing the last for this updated design indicated a new look and feel that would visualize a sleeker, closer to foot silhouette.
JACKSON HOLE MID
JACKSON HOLE SPORT
Market Release
The final two silhouettes for the Larimer Collection are the Larimer Mid and the Larimer Sport. Both styles share the same materials, trims, tooling, and waterproof construction. These designs are intended for the consumer that doesn’t need a heavyweight, overly insulated boot but a slightly more winter capable sneaker that is designed to perform outdoors while remaining comfortable for all day wear.
LARIMER MID
The Larimer Mid is the hiker influenced style of the collection, possessing a full grain leather mudguard, vamp, and eyestay. The quarter panel and collar uses a molded ballistic mesh for added support and comfort. This silhouette also possesses a slightly insulated tongue and vamp to allow for some protection from the cold while allowing more wearing opportunities. This silhouette leans more towards the outdoors while still having lifestyle appeal.
LARIMER SPORT
The Larimer Sport is the most progressive out of the two styles. It is a chukka silhouette with a suede mudguard and vamp combined with a ballistic mesh collar. Possessing a slightly insulated tongue and vamp allows for some protection from the cold while allowing the user to wear this style for longer periods of time indoors. It includes a molded padded collar for added ankle comfort and support as well as a welded TPU top eyestay. This boot-sneaker was designed for the lifestyle consumer within the city but capable of most outdoor travels and adventures.
Specs
The new midsole and outsole design would reflect the original “Three Poles Expedition” design driver. Function and performance expectations of the new tooling would remain the same as well. The updated midsole is a lightweight cushioned EVA that is combined with a performance based rubber outsole.
