40 years of gorpcore in Jack Wolfskin's archive

Jack Wolfskin has a special place when it comes to cult brands dedicated to hiking. For forty years now, in fact, the German brand founded in 1981 by Ulrich Dausien represents not only the European counterpart of realities such as Patagonia and The North Face but also the main creative interpreter of gorpcore aesthetics in Europe. From its origins, in its native Germany, to the worldwide jump of 2014 and, recently, with the entry of a new CEO, Richard Collier, the brand has accumulated a very extensive archive of photographs that, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary and on the verge of an even greater relaunch of its image, has been opened and shown to the public.

Unveiling its archive to the public, the brand intends to reflect on its forty years of history passing through its most innovative and iconic designs: the 5-in-1 Combination Jacket Century that thanks to a zip system can change shape and be reorganized according to different occasions; the ACS backpack with its weight distribution and ventilation system; the organic and unseated cotton of the Naturhemd t-shirt, since the early 1980s one of the symbols of the brand's sustainable commitment, as well as the Polartec collections introduced since 1988. All a heritage that, with the arrival of the new CEO, will come back to life and expand both with the new Pack & Go and 365 collections as well as with the continuous and increasing implementation of sustainable practices.

Three products that symbolize the brand's heritage were also relaunched for the occasion: the Thunderblaze Jacket, a re-enactment of the famous Thunder & Lightning Jacket of 1994; the Crosstrail backpack series that takes advantage of the ACS ventilation system and the NAITO capsule collection created by the Japanese graphic artist Shinpei Naito that will bring colourful prints and tropical patterns to jack wolfskin's classic garments. Historical video and audio materials will be presented in the Heritage Hub section of the brand, with interviews with founder Ulrich Dausien, explorer Arved Fuchs and the stories of the brand's customers and employees. All this is accompanied by the launch of the hashtag #markedbythewilderness through which the brand will gather an archive of user-generated images that will retrace the entire history of the brand and its products.