Genesis: The North Face Exhibition + A Conversation with former TNF Exec, Bill Simon
We definitely have The North Face on the brain recently.
Paris Event!
Outdoor Recreation Archive has been working with Ramdane Touhami to put together an exhibition about the history of The North Face in Paris on 3/7. If you’re in Paris, join us for a conversation about the history of this iconic brand and a hands-on look at catalogs from The North Face collection at the Outdoor Recreation Archive.
Interview: Bill Simon
The Outdoor Recreation Archive sat down with outdoor industry executive Bill Simon on our latest episode of the History of Gear | Highlander Podcast (Apple / Spotify) to talk about his early years developing some of the first technical outerwear in Taiwain in the late 1970s at Snow Lion, the growth of his company, Odyssey International (which at one point would own The North Face, Sierra Designs, Marmot, and more!), and his work in environmental stewardship and responsibility creating the Conservation Alliance and his work now at Earthshaker Partners.
Bill Simon and the influence of the companies he was involved in is undeniable. Living in Berkley, the birthplace of iconic outdoor brands, including The North Face, left a lasting impression as Bill started in retail and then set off to create technical outerwear in Taiwan with co-founder Barry Solloway through their brand, Snow Lion. The company, originally called Snow Line, had to change its name to Snow Lion upon realizing the existence of Eddie Bauer’s existing line of Snow Line gloves.
It seems unthinkable now, but at the time, little to no technical outerwear or outdoor clothing was produced in Asia. Simon and Snow Lion, well ahead of the industry, manufactured down parkas in Taiwan, which would lay the foundation for the work Simon would do building Odyssey International in Hong Kong. Simon spent years, in an era of no diplomatic relations between the United States and China, fostering relationships and building his business, which would eventually acquire The North Face, Sierra Designs, Marmot, and others.
As if that weren’t enough for a single career, during his post Odyssey career, Simon buy back The North Face, explore a possible sale of TNF to Nike (what a sliding doors moment!), take it public, purchase Converse and sell it to Nike, run Cole Haan, and much much more. If that wasn’t enough, Bill’s interview with SNEWS (Specialty News in 1989) about the impact that brands could and should have on the environment would go on to spark conversations between Simon’s The North Face, REI, Patagonia, and Kelty that would end up forming the Conservation Alliance.
Simon now continues his work fostering and developing brands invested in environmental impact through his current company, Earthshaker Partners.
Learn more about Bill’s history in the industry and the evolution of the outdoor business in our full interview on the History of Gear | Highlander Podcast.
Footnotes
Snow Lion Painting: Longtime followers of the Outdoor Recreation Archive will know that some of our personal favorite materials in the collection include the iconic Snow Lion 1978 catalog cover. This cover, painted by California-based artist and sculptor Bruce Wolfe, is incredibly striking and one of the most memorable covers in the archive and in the outdoor industry.
Sliding Doors: Simon’s brief conversations with Nike (and apparently Reebok among others) about a potential acquisition are an interesting ‘what if’ for the industry. Around this time, Nike ACG was in full swing, but it’s still interesting to see what Nike x TNF could have been like.