You know, folks talk a lot about The North Face and Supreme collaborations. It’s become a whole thing, hasn’t it? Been watching these drops for years now, and it’s wild how much buzz they generate every single time. I remember when it felt a bit more niche, a bit more “if you know, you know.” Now, it’s a global frenzy, and honestly, sometimes I just scratch my head.
So, there was this one season, I think it was a couple of years back, they had this mountain parka I really liked. Not purely because of the hype, mind you, though you can’t ignore it. The colorway was just spot on, a kind of muted green that I thought looked great, and I genuinely needed a decent waterproof jacket for the changing seasons. I thought, “Alright, let’s give this a proper go. What’s the worst that can happen?” Famous last words, right?
Preparation was key, or so I thought. I went through the whole checklist. It felt a bit silly, but if you wanted a chance, you had to play the game. My little routine involved stuff like this:
- Got the drop time nailed down to the second. Had alarms set on my phone and computer.
- Made sure my Supreme account details were up to date, payment info ready. Some folks even use autofill, but I’m always a bit wary of that.
- Had a couple of browser tabs open – not too many to crash things, but enough to have a backup if one froze. Even had my phone ready as a secondary option.
Felt like I was preparing for some kind of high-stakes online mission, not just trying to buy a piece of clothing. It’s kinda ridiculous when you step back and look at it, the lengths we go to.
Come drop day, it was pure chaos. Exactly as you’d expect, really. The website slowed to a crawl the moment it hit the hour. Click, wait. Click, error message. Refresh. Click, page not loading. By the time I could even get the item into my cart, which felt like a small miracle, and fumbled through to the checkout page – poof! Sold out. The whole thing was over in minutes, maybe even seconds for the really popular sizes and colorways. I’m pretty sure bots snagged most of it anyway. It’s a familiar story for anyone who’s tried to get their hands on this highly sought-after stuff directly.
And that’s the thing with The North Face and Supreme, isn’t it? It’s often less about the actual utility of the gear sometimes and more about the chase, the exclusivity, that little red box logo. I’ve got a few older North Face pieces, just regular mainline ones, and they’re fantastic. Built like tanks, keep you warm and dry, do exactly what they say on the tin. The Supreme collabs? They use good TNF shells, no doubt, the quality is generally there. But you’re paying a massive premium for that branding and the incredible hype that surrounds it.
I did eventually manage to get a TNF x Supreme piece, not that hyped jacket I missed out on, but a smaller accessory from a later drop. It was a backpack. I actually picked it up secondhand, paid a bit over retail because I missed the drop again, but not the crazy, eye-watering prices you see for some of the iconic jackets. It’s… nice. It’s well-made, looks cool. But does it feel functionally different from a regular TNF backpack when I’m actually using it to carry my stuff? Honestly, not really. It’s more of a subtle nod, a conversation starter for those who are into that particular scene.
So, what’s the real deal for me?
My take on it now, after all these years of observing and occasionally participating, is that it’s a fascinating cultural phenomenon. The marketing is undeniably genius, no question about that. They create this incredible, almost insatiable demand. But for me, the actual “practice” of trying to buy it directly at retail is often more frustration than reward. It just saps the fun out of it sometimes.
I still appreciate the designs; some of them are genuinely cool and innovative. But I’ve kinda made peace with the fact that if I really want something from these collections, I’ll either get incredibly lucky on drop day (which is rare), or I’ll wait and see if I can find it for a semi-reasonable price later on the resale market, or more often than not, I’ll just admire it from afar and stick to my trusty, non-hyped gear that does the job just as well. My practical side always kicks in eventually. A jacket’s gotta be a good jacket first and foremost, you know? The rest is just sprinkles on top.
