The North Face x Engineered Garments Vectiv Forward

A monochrome runner reworked with a removable lace cap for slip-on wear.

The North Face x Engineered Garments Vectiv Forward is a running sneaker reworked for The North Face Japan, a separate entity from the VF Corp-owned company. Also called the Vective Forward Easy, the collaboration pairs a substantial silhouette with a single monochrome shade. A removable lace cap allows the shoe to be worn as a sort of slip-on, making the fastening the central design intervention. Engineered Garments has explored outdoor clothing through its UNIQLO fleece collaborations, and mismatched designs are part of the label’s vocabulary. Here, that clothing background takes the form of a runner rather than a collection of parkas or puffers. Pricing is unconfirmed. The restraint gives this collaboration its character: an Engineered Garments shoe whose shape does more of the talking than its surface treatment.