The North Face Launches SS26 Hike Collection

The North Face today has launched its Hike Collection as part of a three-part seasonal story, designed to meet every element explorers encounter from the streets to the peaks. Today, the Rain chapter introduces the opening instalment of the collection, incorporating bold colourways and retro silhouettes to set the tone for what is to come with Wind and Sun to follow later in the season.

The Rain Collection leads the campaign’s call to redefine the future of hiking, challenging the sanitised perception of the trail and reclaiming hiking as something instinctive, disruptive, and deeply personal. Rooted in The North Face’s enduring ethos, Never Stop Exploring™, this first chapter pairs technical innovation built for wet conditions with a bold cultural message that hiking is not just a long walk, but an act of freedom and self-expression.

At its core, hiking with The North Face embodies excitement, power, and boldness for every individual on the trail. The disruptive campaign seeks to reshape the meaning of hiking, not just for today, but for decades to come.

Throughout the season, The North Face will reveal its SS26 Hike campaign in distinct “chapters” titled Rain, Wind, and Sun. Each chapter highlights the various elements one may encounter while hiking and also spotlights the innovative products in the entire collection.

MANIFESTO

You don’t know shit about hiking.

'Cause it's been homogenised, sanitised, stuffed into backpacks, and reduced to selfies.

Or just a long boring walk.

so it might be time to jam your algorithm with dirt. So we eat a little blood

Because hiking deserves a new definition.

And the truth is, you might not even know you're on a trail.

You might just be a kid with something to prove.

Or a dirtbag with a dream

Or a feral soul on the pavement, about to break free.

You might be a misfit in search of a reason to climb.

Or a cynic who thought you'd never work up the balls to get lost in the backcountry.

Hiking is hopping fences and howling at the moon.

It's trudging rain-soaked and euphoric, flipping off the VIP tents.

Marching right through the open jaws of a city and asking, who's hungry?

It's injecting your veins with the magic of this ridiculous, beautiful, insane thing that happens just by going.

Just by one step, ahead of the next.

So yeah, it's not just a long walk...

It's hardwired into your soul.

Nobody hikes like you.

The SS26 Hike collection will be released in three “chapters” starting with Rain on March 3rd, Wind on April 9, and Sun on May 5th. The collection will be available on thenorthface.com.