the North Face SFMOMA

Grayscale + ERL - 2022
United Entertainment Group | San Francisco, CA
Conceptual Design, Design Development, Technical Design, Fabrication Documentaion

Fabrication by Austin CNC

Explore the influence of The North Face's iconic Nuptse jacket by creating a larger-than-life walkthrough experience highlighting stories from the jacket's history.

In collaboration with Experience Research Lab, a parametrically designed recreation of the iconic TNF Nuptse Jacket comes to life in SFMOMAs White Box Space in a BIG way. Crafted meticulously from over 200 interlocking sheets of recycled cardboard, the jacket's form becomes an immersive passage, inviting all to embark on an extraordinary journey.

Visitors to the museum are encouraged to traverse through the structures organically formed cavern to reveal STORIES OF EXPLORATION TO LIFE. Carved from the tunnel walls, recesses adorn the tunnel's interior, forming nine distinct vignettes. Each vignette is a testament, a window into the authentic stories woven within the fabric of each product and the explorer that adorns them.

SETUP

In the spirit of The North Face launching its first-ever circular design product line, the installation is designed using fully recycled and recyclable materials. No glue or plastics of any kind were used in the creation of the structure.

tHE EVENT

Installed in SFMOMA's white box gallery, the "It's More Than a Jacket" experience featured an installation comprised of used The North Face jackets and products on loan from brand partners ranging from athletes to designers, to consumers. Some of the stories within this experiential archive include those from The North Face athletes such as Alex Honnold, Jimmy Chin and Ingrid Backstrom; designers Mark Erickson and Angelo Baque; cultural icon and artist RZA, and many more. Each piece's unique story will showcase what these jackets have meant to the people who have worn them throughout the years.

DESIGN