After making a very interesting and captivating presentation of its new Futurelight technology at the start of the Ispo Munich trade show earlier this month, The North Face told us that it will replace Gore-Tex in its high-performance lines of tents and clothing for mountaineering, skiing and trail running from the autumn/winter 2019/20 season. Gore-Tex will continue to be used for the brand's more lifestyle-oriented products. Its new exclusive waterproof/breathable technology will be reserved for the brand's 700-odd premium dealers around the world before reaching out to lower-tier retailers, charging a premium of about 10 percent at the start. It will be applied to footwear from the spring/summer 2020 season, and it will be shared with other brands of VF Corp. in the future. The products will be made at a recently expanded third-party factory in Vietnam. More in The Outdoor Industry Compass.

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