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Founded in 2017 by Evelynn Escobar, Hike Clerb is a nonprofit organization geared to find a radical solution to the lack of diversity in outdoor groups. It equips women and gender-expansive people of color with all the resources they need, including a slew of workshops and designated trail days, to use nature as a tool for healing.
As a grant recipient of the North Face’s Explore Fund, Escobar is creating a stand-alone collection with the brand.
The ten-piece collection includes hiking boots, brimmer hats, and biker shorts, as well as a surprisingly spacious sling bag with Hike Clerb’s ladybug logo. “It’s been so much fun to design, to dream up, not only with my own style and taste, but also for the community,” Escobar says. “These are things that women can wear and feel empowered to go outside, to be bright and bold.”
Do I need this?
If you’re a lover of the great outdoors (and bright colors!), you’d likely benefit from the items in the collection. The water-bottle bag is fitted with a long adjustable strap, suited for hiking the trails and hot-girl walks in your neighborhood. The graphic tees are made entirely from “climate-conscious” cotton and recycled polyester fibers. It can be worn with a poplin maxi skirt or layered under the collection’s bright-yellow and purple cargo vest — a personal favorite of Escobar.
“When I’m hiking, I need to be so hands-off in terms of carrying things,” Escobar shares. “I hate carrying my water bottle and things like that. The vest can actually also be a backpack in that way because it has the pockets to hold trekking poles and a hydration bladder. It also has so many pockets to hold on to your keys, your lip gloss, whatever it is.”
As a “sneaker girl,” she notes that the hiking boots are a very personal design. “It means so much to me because I actually mocked up the colorway of the boot. It’s colored like a sneaker, not a traditional hiking boot.”
How do I get it?
The collection is available in its entirety on the North Face’s website and in stores, with prices ranging from $35 for tees up to $150 for the paneled suede hiking boots and belted V-neck jumpsuit.
However, if you’re a cardholder of REI’s Co-op membership program, you have exclusive access to the full lineup at its online store and can shop there as well.
What are people saying?
When news broke that the two brands would be coming together, the response was overwhelmingly positive. The comments under the announcement post, mainly from supporters of Hike Clerb and Escobar, commended all parties involved for the exciting new partnership. “I can’t wait to shop IRL,” one commenter posted. On the day of the launch, another commenter said that there was “nothing they wanted to see more” on their feed.
“The response has been absolutely incredible,” Escobar says. “There are so many people I’ve had so many emotional conversations with who just feel safe and seen by the work that we’re doing, and who feel so proud to be able to be a part of it and own a piece that speaks to them.”
However, on the other end of the spectrum, an REI Co-op member gave the collection’s Pathfinder jumpsuit a one-out-of-five-stars rating, citing its lack of accessibility for bathroom breaks in the woods as a deal-breaker.
As a side note: The jumpsuit does have a zip fastening along the front that allows you to wear it rolled down with a T-shirt.
