Everyone has a North Face brand jacket
How and when did this happen? Have you noticed? Everywhere I go, I see folks in new The North Face (TNF for short) outerwear. When did the North Face take over the jacket, coat and parka world?
According to their website, the company is just over 40 years old and is based in San Leandro, CA which is outside of Oakland, CA. From my experience, they make a good product and are generally priced in the $200 and up price range for a winter jacket. They are also known for fleece pullovers, which are $100+.
So here is the next question, where are people getting the money to buy new, expensive winter wear? Are we not in the worst financial times in the last 100 years? And yet, all over the east coast at least, folks are plunking down $150 (on average) a piece for TNF outerwear.
TNF now seems like the Nike of jackets. Nike has sold high-priced shoes to all demographic segments for years now. TNF seems to have grabbed that market concept and turned into the must have brand for winterwear.
On a personal note, I really wanted to get a North Face black all-climate jacket. I looked around and decided that $200 was too much for something that I just wanted, did not need. Now that they (TNF jackets) are ubiqoutus, I decided that they may not be cool anymore. If everyone, even the bag boy at the local Giant food store has one, how cool can they be?