Puffers have long been an off-duty staple among models and celebrities – and there’s one particular brand that has supplied them for decades. Outerwear specialist The North Face (which is currently hosting a Cyber Monday sale) has introduced everyday styles like the Nuptse and Saikuru alongside its high-performance ranges. Like its snow sports and mountaineering products, the puffers are made with endurance in mind, featuring breathable, quick-drying exterior fabric (many are ripstop), padded with down-filled horizontal baffles.
Simple in their design, the jackets are stamped with the signature Half Dome logo on the chest (inspired by the Yosemite rock formation), and are made to retain warmth. Unlike other iterations released by fashion brands, these jackets’ primary purpose isn’t to “look good”, as such – they’re designed to keep a wearer insulated. But through celebrity endorsement, the rise of “Gorpcore” and a stream of collaborations (Gucci and Cecilie Bahnsen included) The North Face puffer jackets have found life as covetable fashion items. The “slopes to the street” concept of the boxy-fit Nuptse, which is inspired by a version first debuted in the 1990s, epitomises this sentiment.
Brand-new The North Face puffer jackets are around £170 plus, depending on the style, but plenty can also be found on resale sites like eBay. In 2021, brown Nuptse 1996 jackets were reselling for £800 after a picture of Kendall Jenner from 2019 went viral on TikTok. That year, the platform reported a 1,950 per cent increase in searches in November and December, while Lyst noted a 117 per cent increase for North Face puffers as a whole.
The North Face jackets aren’t just popular – they’ve become a blueprint as to what might come to mind when many people think of a “puffer”, since there are few other iconic puffer styles that have had such a broad demographic reach or impact. And given they’ve already stood the test of time, and new styles are released each year – elevated by innovative tech – there’s no doubt their appeal will continue.
