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Supreme’s Fall/Winter 2024 collaboration with The North Face was honestly pretty boring. But it did get us thinking about all of the incredible projects that the two brands have released over the years.
Their partnership kicked off in 2007 and has remained a regular seasonal occurrence ever since. Supreme and TNF have released over 40 collabs to date. While The North Face’s outerwear has been part of the streetwear conversation for decades, in large part due to its popularity in East Coast cities like New York, Supreme has played a pivotal role in helping it maintain its cool factor with younger crowds around the world.
Some of the releases are complete duds, but more often than not, the two brands deliver. From revivals of rare lines like RTG to Nuptses covered in exotic animal prints, these are our picks for the top 10 Supreme x The North Face drops of all time.
Key Item: The Black, Grey, and Pink Summit Series Jacket
Did you know that Supreme and The North Face kicked off their partnership 17 years ago? Over time, the two brands have linked up for two Summit Series jackets. We like the ’90s-inspired colorblocking and subtle flare from the leopard print lining. Supreme would create more inventive TNF capsules in the years that followed, but the timeless nature of these jackets has helped them maintain relevance. Quality over quantity.
Key Item: Rabbit Fur Pattern Nuptse Jacket
The Nuptse is arguably the most popular jacket from The North Face. Supreme has always done a good job of creating versions of the bubble coat that you would never expect to see TNF release on its own. Case in point, this collab Nuptse from 2013. If you don’t want to pull off a full fur coat in the winter, this is the next best option. The jacket featured a rabbit fur pattern across its nylon shell.
Key Item: Purple and Yellow Expedition Jacket
Hardcore TNF collectors may appreciate this Fall/Winter 2018 collab a bit more than the average Supreme fan. The Expedition jackets were from a Japan-exclusive line that The North Face produced in the ’90s. Even without that niche connection, they looked amazing with great colorblocking, which still feel timeless. The Cordura nylon and Gore-Tex construction guarantees they’ll last just as long.
Key Item: Map Print Expedition Coaches Jacket
This collaboration introduced a brand new jacket, the Expedition Coaches Jacket, which fused the elements of TNF’s Expedition parkas with a more lifestyle-friendly, lightweight coaches jacket. They were more suitable for everyday use, complete with the six-flag patches on the chest and back. The main reason this capsule is so good is because of the map print jacket, made even more famous after The Weeknd wore it in his “King of the Fall” music video. This is a prime example of Supreme’s maximalist design philosophy paying off.
Key Item: Red Nuptse Jacket
Supreme has always been known to make pointed cultural references with its designs, but this collection from 2015 was the first time it did so with The North Face. A series of jackets were covered in one of Malcolm X’s most notorious phrases, “By any means necessary,” written in Supreme’s signature font. Customers could take their pick between Nuptses and Mountain Pullovers. There were also travel canisters and gloves if you couldn’t commit to such a loud winter jacket. Not every hypebeast may care about the story behind this, but these are the types of details that take a Supreme piece from good to great.
Key Item: “Day” Summit Jacket
Another early addition to the Supreme x TNF archive is this pair of Summit Jackets from 2008. Day and night versions were released that feature a watercolor image of the New York Public Library in Midtown Manhattan wrapping the entire jacket. The various colors and details of the day version make it the more coveted of the two. Due to their age, these have become incredibly hard to find, which is why when you do come across one, you should expect to pay a few thousand dollars for it.
Key Item: Grey Leopard Print Nuptse Jacket
This was the first time that Supreme got to work on the Nuptse. It made sure to go all out. Supreme covered the iconic bubble jacket in yellow, green, and grey leopard print. Their allure was elevated even higher when rap stars like ASAP Rocky and Playboi Carti wore them. The most notorious example is Drake wearing the grey version in “The Motto” video, resulting in the jacket becoming one of the most iconic pieces of outerwear Supreme has ever produced. Animal prints are making a comeback—Maybe it’s time to dust this off if you stashed it away in your closet.
Key Item: Green RTG Jacket
Supreme went deep into the TNF archive for this one. The brand decided to revive TNF’s Remote Terrain Gear (RTG) line, a short-lived series of technical climbing gear from the mid-’90s. At first glance, it may seem like Supreme didn’t add much of its own DNA to this, but the bright color choices like yellow and lime green are a stark contrast from the OG RTG line that was offered in earthier tones like brown and olive green.
The best items were undoubtedly the jackets, which came with a removable Gore-Tex vest that could even house a hydration pack if you planned on really taking this thing to the mountain. Fleece jackets and turtlenecks were offered in the same range of colors, with backpacks, utility pouches, and balaclavas rounding out the collection. Considering this collection came out during the pandemic, it may have flown a bit under the radar. Consider this a reminder. Don’t sleep on this one.
Key Item: Any Color of the TAE Gore-Tex Pullover
Supreme was white-hot in 2017. Anything it released was met with excitement. That’s probably part of the reason we still look back at this particular collab so fondly. It felt as if every streetwear influencer had a fit pic with one of these pullovers, and every resale shop sold it for big money. Whether you prefer the McDonald’s-esque yellow with red trims or the more toned-down black version, every colorway was good. We’d be remiss not to mention the matching Polartec fleeces that were also released this season, a very worthy consolation if you couldn’t score the Gore-Tex.
This release also has a great story behind it. The line references the TNF gear worn by the six explorers during the 1990s International Trans-Antarctic Expedition, a seven-month voyage across Antarctica to raise awareness for climate change. The American flags prominently stamped on each piece are a nod to each member’s gear during the trek that represented their home country. The origins of the TAE gear made it one of the most desirable sub-lines in TNF’s history—adding Supreme to the recipe only made it that much better.
Key Item: Red and Olive Green Steep Tech Jacket
This is Supreme and The North Face at the top of their game. For this collection, Supreme revived TNF’s cult-favorite Steep Tech, a technical skiwear line that originally ran from 1991 to 1998 and saw brief resurgences in the 2000s. Like any great Supreme collab, this one tied back to New York City culture. Steep Tech wasn’t just revered by skiers on the slopes. It also became a status symbol in the five boroughs for its high price point and co-signs from rappers like Method Man throughout the ’90s.
The jackets stand out for their vast number of zipper pockets that are as functional as they are fashionable. For this style, Supreme didn’t need to rely on any patterns to turn heads—the Steep Tech’s design was distinct enough. Now, they sell for nearly triple the $388 retail price.
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