The Buri Khalifa skyscraper is the world’s tallest building, rising over 2,700 feet in the Dubai skyline. Although the man-made wonder is beyond impressive, it is easily dwarfed by natural occurrences. The Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska contains 6 million acres of wilderness and houses the highest mountain peak in North America. The 20,310 feet high Denali peak embodies natural beauty and demands sheer astonishment from onlookers. Denali also functions as a monumental figure in the bizarre realm of extreme sports and endurance trials with athletes converging on the site challenging their physical limits on the ultimate stage. Denali may be viewed in sacred terms by outdoor enthusiasts and its existence considered common knowledge by outdoor enthusiasts, but many non-mountain buffs can contribute their knowledge of the site to The North Face. The brand introduced its Denali Fleece Jacket in 1985–Patagonia created its Snap-T Fleece Pullover the same year. The history of its development is difficult to pinpoint, but thankfully Patagonia published the Snap Fleece’s origins, and some manufacturing justifications have to overlap. Both flagship items boast a fleece body, aiming to replace the wool outerwear outdoor enthusiasts routinely utilized. Fleece is lighter, provides greater insulation and dries quicker than its protein-based counterpart. Technological innovations like this were monumental in the mid 1980s, but the Denali jacket remains an extremely popular item. Although its received several makeovers aimed at reducing its environmental impact during production, it remains mostly intact. Minor aesthetic tweaks and color variations are evident with every version, but the silhouette is almost identical. (Gary Warnett wrote a brilliant piece chronicling the history of fleece for Arena Catalog) No one would wear the Denali to attempt an activity of any kind near the jacket’s namesake. The outdoor gear market explodes constantly with new items boasting improved technology and materials. This makes the 37-year-old fleece obsolete for hardcore adventurers in extreme conditions. A climber strictly wearing a Denali couldn’t start a mountain ascent without risking serious health issues. The North Face’s product may be obsolete in the intense outdoors, but the jacket officially eclipsed the narrow category it originated from. For a wide variety of cultural reasons, the fleece reached outerwear fame. Similar to the Levi’s Trucker, Barbour’s wax cotton creations, and Carhartt’s chore jacket, the Denali is iconic. The half dome logo could be plucked out stitch by stitch, but a 10 year old could still shout out the brand name in 2 seconds. Denali jackets are much more popular in malls, campuses and grocery stores than any subzero mountain face. This transition from technical tool to fashionable object is far from rare, Rolex comes to mind, but product longevity is always admirable. I can’t produce any concrete evidence for this, but I imagine the long lifespan inevitably connects its impervious popularity. I vividly remember seeing countless classmates from middle school to college don the infamous fleece. It definitely garnered respect in the pre-teen years, especially the all black rendition. From counter-culture mountain climbers risking their lives to kids in a cafeteria discussing test scores, the product surpassed whatever boundaries it was intended to exist in. Due to the Denali’s popularity, it has naturally run its course through the streetwear reappropriation circuit. In 2008, Supreme partnered with The North Face and created a trio of two-toned options with dual branding. Regardless of whatever convoluted state Supreme currently exists in, I honestly like the bright, candy-colored renditions from 11 years ago. Like most old Supreme collaborations, the jackets are beyond rare and regularly sell for over $1,000. A decade later The North Face Purple Label worked with Beauty & Youth, a brand and retailer under the UNITED ARROWS umbrella. It resulted in a pair of tan and black Denali jackets for a more cultish menswear pairing. Over the past few years, the blog world created countless articles and trend reports focusing on the explosion of fleece and techwear in the influencer-laden fashion realm. Even an untrained eye can see the unmistakable Denali in the never ending stream of related content. People, “fashionable” or not, still enjoy the piece whether they bought a hip streetwear version or a classic rendition.
A quick glance over the item’s description on The North Face’s site and one learns about the Denali’s abrasion-resistant elbows, armpit zipper vents, waist cinch cords, vertical napoleon pocket, and its zip-in compatibility. 34 years later and the item unintentionally has all the overly technical buzz words people love to glare over and recite to any friends, curious or not. These components aren’t necessary for a trip to the coffee shop, but they all contribute to the piece and have some technical reasoning far removed from today’s world. I purchased a used Denali off eBay a few years ago for $8.95 – a significant difference from the $100 retail price. To my knowledge, its from the 90s and features some slight differences from newer versions including branded pull tabs. Although I am far removed from middle school recess, I always wanted one. My curiosity finally overcame me, and I wear it a decent amount. It has some holes near the elastic cuffs and some missing tabs, but that doesn’t bother me at all. I don’t plan on climbing Denali in the foreseeable future.
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AuthorMax Theriot Archives
November 2019
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