Origin stories: Arc'teryx vs The North Face

Credit: Joshua Earle

If you enjoy the outdoors, you may have a few pieces from The North Face or Arc'teryx, but do you know what differentiate them at their core?

I didn’t, until recently when I came across a fascinating Monocle podcast featuring Bob Sheard, Founder of the agency Fresh Britain.Bob started working with Arc’teryx early on, as they were embarking on their growth journey. 

Known for its minimalist approach, the brand wanted to grow while keeping its uniqueness and differentiation against other major outdoor brands like The North Face.

Bob’s starting point was the meaning of “place” for each brand, which he defines this way:

-The North Face is closely related to North America and Western civilization. It is based on a fundamentally competitive relationship with nature, a desire of owning and conquering it.

-Arc'teryx is from British Columbia, Canada, and shares the values of Northern civilizations coming from the Arctic Circle, with the same shamanic and nomadic influences as Scandinavian countries. Bob describes shamanic as living in balance with nature, nomadic as leaving no trace and having no ownership.

Credit Arc’teryx, The North Face

This origin story helped build the Arc’teryx brand around the idea of living in alignment with nature - and not trying to conquer it.

These are iconic brands, but origin stories are as powerful for startups. They reinforce a company’s culture and create a strong core around which it can keep evolving.