Killing the Dead Bird
A few days ago someone tagged me on the announcement video for the upcoming collaboration between Arc’teryx and Palace Skateboards.
My reaction was immediate — hoping they didn’t make anything in XS because my wallet would not survive such a barrage otherwise. I was thrilled when the product shots dropped and I liked what I saw. And yet, I hated myself for it.
I remember in the early 2010s when few things were more of a yuppy status symbol than a The North Face Denali fleece. Pair one with khaki shorts and Nike Elite socks and Goddamn you were hot shit. In part due to its clientele but largely due to over-saturation, I quickly got tired of that stupid fleece and, by extension, the brand as a whole. I found most TNF designs ugly, the price too high for sometimes-iffy quality, and I hated that logo.
As my interest in fashion grew, The North Face annoyed me even more. They collaborated with EVERYONE. The image of a brand already mired by West End yuppies was further dragged through the mud by an all encompassing image of accessibility. As much as fashiony types go on about accessibility, we don’t really mean it. The best kind of accessibility is that pair of jeans from some brand so cheap that no one else thinks to buy them. But when something is actually accessible? Keep that away from me. There’s no effort, no romance, and, worst of all, nothing to brag about. For a time, Patagonia was king, at least for me. The garments that attracted me were affordable but still somewhat outside the trend. They were functional and accessible but still in a way that made you feel special — how many other people were pairing a vintage fleece with raw denim and combat boots? Especially in my mid-sized Virginia town. But one day I came to the tragic realization — most Patagonia just wasn’t cool enough. Sure the fleeces were great, the Torrentshell and occasional Nano Puff heavy hitters too of course. But otherwise? Not hitting too much. Trucker hats? No thanks, I don’t go to microbreweries. Fishing gear? No thanks, I have my own personality. Ski jackets? Please, I don’t leave the house.
Years ago I remember one of the leaders in my Boy Scout troop, a man with an impeccable beard and a penchant for nice bikes and firearms, brought his daypack to a troop meeting. It was a filthy thing of black and dusty orange, scuffed to hell but still well intact. Younger me was far too shy to ask the brand but I managed to catch a glimpse of the embroidered lettering and look it up soon as I got home.
I was confronted by far too many jackets costing far too much money and featuring far too many subtle design differences. But still, that embroidered dead bird stuck in my mind, something to occasionally be glimpsed on the most devoted of outdoorsmen. When I encountered Arc’teryx again in the background of a picture of some cyclists it captivated me again. I bought an Atom AR and was obsessed. It was lightweight, flattering, warm, perfect for riding my bike around late at night in under 30 degrees. At that time, the brand was still cool and rarely wavered from intention. I bought an insulated softshell and a gore-tex and, frankly, there’s nothing else I need. Any other garments would be an exercise in redundancy. And that’s what was special about Arc’teryx — they had found their one niche and grown into it, flourished. Collaborations were rare, at the time all that existed was Beams, Livestock, and Concepts. Hell, I might hate Virgil Abloh but him putting Arc’teryx on the runway was cool. Why? Because it was unauthorized, the only way at the time he could’ve easily gotten the keys to collaboration (well, sort of). Arc’teryx had rapidly become cool, but in their own words, “We’re not overtly fashionable, and we’re not following micro trends.”
But then, out of nowhere, it piled on. Another Beams collab which sucked (wow, big logos). And it didn’t stop, decently executed but lazy reconstruction, something for my Toronto boys, but who the fuck allowed anime eyes??? And lastly, weirdly dyed jackets with much the same colorway as the kitchen trash I took out at my last job. It felt like it wouldn’t end. And it didn’t. We got the Palace collection.
Actually, I don’t even really care about the Palace collaboration. Who cares what it looks like (lazy, uninspired)? All I see is the image of an expensive brand becoming cheap, and I hate it. Why is the brand that sold me the only jacket I’d ever need suddenly trying to sell me a dozen more?
Despite everything, in ten minutes I’m still going to be glued to my computer hitting refresh like a Rat begging for food pellets. Oh well, such is life.
