Napapijri

Napapijri's case rests on pedigree rather than novelty: it built its name on travel bags cut from waxed cotton canvas borrowed from military field tents, then carried that durability into outerwear. If you want a jacket with technical roots and urban styling rather than a pure mountaineering shell, it earns its keep. Think of it as outdoor heritage dressed for the city.

The Skidoo Jacket is the design that moved Napapijri from bags into outerwear in 1990, conceived as a lightweight, rain-proof anorak built for extreme temperatures. That brief, weatherproofing in a packable anorak shape, is exactly what it still does well. Its no-fuss pullover silhouette is the signature you're paying for.

Two pieces define the house. The Bering Bag, a waxed canvas duffel for travelers, marked the brand's debut, and the Skidoo Jacket launched the outerwear that made it famous. The 1995 Rainforest Jacket then pushed Napapijri into streetwear. Start with whichever fits your life: the anorak for cold, the bag for the brand's original purpose.

It comes from napapiiri, the Finnish word for the Arctic Circle. The name signals the cold-weather, far-north positioning the brand has leaned into since the start, even though the company itself is Italian. It's a nice tell that this is a brand about extreme conditions filtered through design.

It's Italian. Napapijri was founded in 1987 in Aosta, Italy, in the Aosta Valley region, with production beginning nearby in Quart. The Alpine setting is no accident for an outerwear label. The Finnish name and Italian roots are part of its particular cross-border character.

It was established in 1987 by Giuliana Rosset, an Italian entrepreneur from the Aosta Valley. She acquired a small backpack company, Green Sport Monte Bianco, from a Turin artisan and relocated the headquarters to Quart, starting with around fifteen employees. The brand grew from that small workshop into an international name.

Since 2004 Napapijri has been a subsidiary of the U.S.-based VF Corporation, the group behind several major outdoor and lifestyle labels. In 2023 Silvia Onofri became its President and British designer Christopher Raeburn its Creative Director, the latter known for a sustainability-minded design approach that fits the brand's direction.

Both are credible outerwear names, but the emphasis differs. Napapijri specializes in outerwear with urban appeal, marked by flap pockets, diagonal neck cuts and bold colors, leaning toward city wear. If you want a jacket that reads as fashion-forward streetwear with technical heritage rather than a strictly expedition-grade shell, Napapijri is the more lifestyle-tilted choice.

The design language is consistent: flap pockets, diagonal neck cuts, bold colors and durable materials. The product range runs from coats and jackets to fleece, sweatshirts, t-shirts, trousers, bags and accessories. Those signature cuts and color blocks are how you spot the brand across an otherwise busy outerwear market.

Yes, and it has a track record. In 2015/16 Napapijri replaced animal fur with eco-fur made of synthetic fibers, and in 2019 and 2021 it introduced circular-based products. Its infinity anorak achieved the gold level Cradle to Cradle certification. So beyond the look, there's a documented push toward more responsible construction.

Frequently. The brand has worked with Karl Lagerfeld back in 2002, plus Martine Rose, Patta, Obey, Fiorucci and others, with the Napa by Martine Rose line proving popular enough to extend into later seasons. These collaborations are a good way to find a more directional take on the classic anorak silhouette.

Napapijri opened its first US store in SoHo, New York City, in 2006, two years after VF Corporation acquired the brand. So while it began as an Aosta Valley label, it has had a physical American foothold for nearly two decades, which helps with sizing and service stateside.