In 1966, a nature lover and hiking fan by the name of Douglas Tompkins developed an equipment and mountaineering outfit in one of San Francisco's most stylish beach districts. Tompkins soon decided to name his company The North Face, a reference to the fact that the north face of most mountains is hard to trek and very cold. In particular, the moniker was an homage to the north face of Mount Everest, the world's tallest peak.

Two years after its founding, the company expanded its product repertoire to include superior apparel for mountaineering. In 1970, the company was doing well enough to open a factory in nearby Berkeley, California. Groups like Credence Clearwater Revival became big fans of the company's ecologically-friendly mission statement.

Early in the 1980s, the North Face added other activewear, tents, sleeping bags, and outdoor accessories to its collection. North Face jackets and North face fleece, shoes, skiing equipment, and trail supplies extended the company's market profile. By 1996, the company was ready to debut a material collection called Tekwear. Also in 1996, North Face acquired a well-to-do outdoor supplier called A5 Adventures Inc.

The North Face continues to support environmental and ecological causes. It awards 'whammy' prizes to high polluting entities, and it sponsors expeditions to some of the most forbidding and exciting mountain territories on earth. The brand has also become associated with extreme sporting, snowboarding, and climbing. Many believe the North Face carries the most technically sophisticated outdoor gear around.