The North Face Outdoor Training Station was opened on November 8
Overview of The North Face’s Outdoor Training Station
The Outdoor Training Station – a place to shop and train
The Outdoor Training Station features a vast range of merchandise spanning from mountaineering to trail running.
The store features interesting design elements, including a rock climbing wall, in an attempt to replicate outdoor training conditions within the retail space. Unlike standard stores available in Singapore, the Outdoor Training Station will also carry exclusive pieces imported from Japan and Korea.
We sat down with Eric Tosello, the Vice President and Managing Director of The North Face Asia-Pacific for a quick interview
Merchandise aside, the Outdoor Training Station also aims to be a community building space. The brand aims to achieve this by conducting free-for-all workshops and other training activities.
“The Outdoor Training Station is here to make people find not only the right products but also information on where and how to train. It is also a place for people to come together and build a community,” said Eric Tosello, Vice President and Managing Director of The North Face Asia Pacific.
The first of many stations to come
Singapore was chosen to host the brand’s first Outdoor Training Station due to three factors: it is the hub for South East Asia, it has a variety of training areas, and the challenges the tropical weather poses.
Part of the Outdoor Training Station
The brand also plans to more Outdoor Training Stations in both North Asia, as well as South East Asia.
“Yes, so we have a plan to expand this concept across the entire region but more importantly in South East Asia. We haven’t defined the next step and we want to see how this one works first – and how people react to it. But yes there is a plan. We’re going to test this concept and expand maybe the year after,” explained Eric.
Aiming to reach great new heights, in fashion
Fans of The North Face will know that the brand provides region-exclusive apparel for customers. Those in Europe are given the Red Line, while Japanese customers enjoy the Purple Line.
Pictured: Japan and Korea exclusives available at The North Face Outdoor Training Station
In addition, the label recently launched its Urban Exploration aka the Black series earlier in Spring 2017. Currently available in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, London, and San Francisco, the collection has seen huge success and might make an appearance on Singapore shores soon.
“We will bring the concept to Singapore as soon as we can. But we’re not looking at a specific product for Singapore – it’s going to be more adapted to the weather,” explained Tosello.
Stepping out of winter-friendly wear
Often associated with heavy winter wear, The North Face aims to distance itself from this pigeonhole by promoting activities and products more suitable for the tropical climate.
“The way we look at outdoor is ‘out of the door’, so as long as you head out, you will need to be protected because it’s going to rain, it’s going to be hot or cold, so we will equip people with everything we have for the journey,”states Eric.
Keep up with The North Face Singapore on Facebook.
The North Face Outdoor Training Station is located at #02-171/175, Marina Square, 6 Raffles Boulevard 039594.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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