RETAIL TRAILBLAZING

Puts focus on women and activewear at Cow Hollow shop

North Face explores new territory with women-centric store.

“I knew at a young age I was different,” indomitable ultra-runner Diane Van Deren began as she addressed an intimate crowd of Bay Area women on a recent evening in Cow Hollow. The occasion was the opening of the North Face’s newest concept: a female-oriented retail store at 1974 Union St.

The rapt audience put down their cocktails as Van Deren recalled her journey from young professional tennis player to mother of three struggling with epilepsy. The only thing that alleviated her symptoms was running, so she laced up her sneakers and hit the pavement. After brain surgery ended her seizures, she continued to run, pushing the boundaries of endurance to the extreme and completing races as long as 430 miles.

Fellow female trailblazers Angel Collinson, a big mountain skier, and Anna Pfaff, an alpine climber and Bay Area trauma nurse, also spoke at the event. And yet, as the North Face’s Senior Brand Marketing Manager Cara Williamson pointed out, if you search for “girl explorer” online you’re more likely to see children’s cartoon character Dora the Explorer in your search results than any of the courageous real-life woman charting new territory today.

The North Face wants to change that. In April, the Alameda premium outerwear brand brought inspiring women athletes to the forefront with its Moves Mountains online video campaign. This spring, the company unveiled its first collection since reworking the women’s fit, accomplished by hiring a slew of new product designers who specialize in mastering the female physique. And now it’s bringing that same ethos — along with an exclusive assortment of performance products and specially trained sales associates — to the Union Street store. It’s North Face’s second female-focused outpost: The first opened in Minnesota in April, and a third just opened in Burlingame.

“This store embodies our commitment not only to elevating our women’s product, with new fits and designs, but also continuing to create new spaces and communities for women to connect, tell their stories and inspire other women to push boundaries in all areas of their lives,” Williamson said.

Galvanized by the speakers, attendees were set free to hunt for products to equip them on their own adventure. They roamed the racks of vibrantly hued garments, which popped against the store’s clean, white paint and architectural plywood shelving. A wall of leggings stood out for its reinvigorated designs, including up- dated performance features like technical compression and core support. A trendy bomber-style jacket crafted with the same weather-resistant qualities as the brand’s signature parkas could easily go from hiking to happy hour.

Despite the fresh look, a surprisingly chic accent wall of floor-to-ceiling chalk bags and oversize black and white photographs of athletes kept the brand connected to its core DNA. At the checkout area, the words “never stop exploring,” written in large tonal letters behind the register, subtly reminded shoppers they have the strength to achieve greatness — be it by running an ultra-marathon in the dessert or summiting the peaks of Pac Heights.

“This store embodies our commitment to create new spaces and communities for women to connect.”

Cara Williamson, The North Face

The North Face photos North Face recently opened its second female-oriented retail store, above, at 1974 Union St. in S.F. The first was in Minnesota, and a third is in Burlingame.

The North Face shop exterior on Union Street in Cow Hollow, below, and inside the store, above, which has a newly revamped women’s line, exclusive performance products and specially trained sales associates.