Trail runners are on an endless pursuit of perfection, forging on, into the unknown. Finding the will to keep bouncing back, and push beyond their limits. This season, The North Face breaks through the noise with a unique collaboration that taps into the archive of artist Yves Klein, utilising his famous shade of blue as the key colour in this Summit Series.
Running the perfect race is like finding the perfect formula – it’s personal. Artist Yves Klein spent years fine tuning International Klein Blue, and we spend just as long developing Summit Series. The balance of art and science battle it out in ultra running, coming together with head and heart to achieve the unachievable. This duality is just as entangled in Yves Klein’s approach to creating his signature blue. He was committed to creating an uncompromised shade, developed just as much in a laboratory as it was pure art.
Now his signature blue hue meets our flagship collection in a collaboration symbolic of the singular focus that ultra-distance running demands. The perfect symbiosis between a well-crafted shade for a well-crafted race. Their journey across the terrain of Mont Blanc will represent its own form of artwork, similar to Klein’s Anthropometry, where models covered in paint became “living paint brushes.”
Each piece of apparel has been specifically designed to meet the needs of trail runners at UTMB with a focus on the mandatory kit for the event. Key product focus in the collection include the IKB Summit Vectiv Pro 2.0, which offers a seamless engineered upper made with 92% recycled material and reinforced with high-tenacity yarns and ultralight DREAM foam midsole. With over 168 podiums, 94 wins and counting, The North Face continue to push boundaries in trail running through the VECTIV Pro series.
With rapid rebound, dynamic stability, and unparalleled propulsion, the Summit VECTIV™ Pro 2 doesn’t just help you to embrace the trail, it powers you through. With countless hours of research and testing by the talented The North Face athletes, woven into every fibre. A true reflection of ATHLETE TESTED. EXPEDITION PROVEN™.
Additional products include the Summit Superior FUTURELIGHT jacket made of breathable-waterproof, seam-sealed FUTURELIGHT™ 3L shell and recycled nylon. The FUTURELIGHT pants provide optimal breathability, packability & protection for runners, and the new 180g Altimetro LT with Stretch Dotknit for an optimized midlayer that will provide the perfect balance of warmth & breathability.
“This is the best jacket I’ve ever run in. It’s light and breathable but keeps me warm and dry in the mountains. Plus, it packs down really small to easily stow in my pack or waist band,” said The North Face Athlete, Stephanie Howe.
A collection emblazoned with legacy from the fabric to the aesthetic, The Summit Series x IKB is not just a homage to history, but a catalyst for new limits.
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