The North Face Purple Label, Explained

If you are reading our Japanese activewear shortlist, you have seen Purple Label mentioned under Nanamica — and probably wondered why it is not sold on thenorthface.com like a standard TNF collection. Purple Label is a **Japan-market line** for The North Face, produced under Goldwin's trademark rights in Japan and South Korea and **designed in collaboration with Nanamica** (Eiichiro Homma's Tokyo label). It is city-outdoor technical clothing with archive TNF references, updated fits, and fabric choices tuned for urban Japan — not the same catalog as US or EU mainline The North Face.

Who makes Purple Label?

**Goldwin Inc.** holds The North Face trademark rights in Japan and South Korea and operates the licensed business (including Purple Label production and distribution in those markets). **Nanamica** leads design direction — workwear-minimal silhouettes, muted palettes, and material pairings that read closer to Japanese athleisure than North American outdoor retail. Nanamica also sells its **own house label** (Alphadry jackets, etc.) separately from Purple Label; the two share a design studio lineage but are different product lines with different hangtags and stockists.

Purple Label vs global The North Face

• **Distribution** — Purple Label is sold through Nanamica stores and the Nanamica online store in Japan, plus select international stockists; it does not replace US/EU TNF seasonal catalogs.
• **Design** — Archive TNF icons (field jackets, mountain coats, down silhouettes) reinterpreted with Nanamica's urban outdoor tailoring rather than summit-first alpine styling.
• **Materials** — Seasonal mix of GORE-TEX, ALPHADRY, Pertex, and traditional textiles; product pages list fabric by SKU — there is no single "Purple Label fabric" like Lululemon's Nulu.
• **Sizing** — Japanese-market grading; use centimeter charts per piece. See our Japanese sizing guide before importing.

Purple Label vs Nanamica house label

What a representative piece looks like

Purple Label outerwear often centers on field jackets and mountain-derived coats in asphalt gray, sage, and black — functional pockets, rounded shoulder lines, and weather fabrics specified per style. The GORE-TEX Field Jacket (N25SA084) is a recent signature: 2-layer ePE GORE-TEX with recycled nylon poplin, positioned as an urban waterproof shell rather than expedition hardshell.

Where to buy outside Japan

Most Purple Label releases sell through Nanamica's online store and Nanamica flagships in Japan. International shoppers sometimes use forwarding services or specialty retailers when a stockist carries a season — availability rotates quickly and not every SKU ships abroad. Nanamica's **US store** focuses on house-label pieces (Alphadry, etc.), not the full Purple Label catalog. For broader Japanese label shopping paths, see where to buy Japanese activewear outside Japan. Prices on Purple Label outerwear are premium (often ¥40,000–¥140,000 depending on style as of Sep 2026 — verify live on the product page).

How Purple Label fits the five-brand map

We kept Purple Label out of our five-brand hub as a sixth standalone name because it is a collaboration line, not an independent company — but it is essential context for understanding Nanamica and Goldwin. For a three-way comparison of those labels' own product philosophies, see Goldwin vs And Wander vs Nanamica. For athleisure vs performance across the wider shortlist, see Japanese athleisure vs performance.