The North Face Global Brand President Replaced, Former Dickies President Takes Over

Question: How does AI · Chris Goble’s product background support The North Face’s high-end development process?

Jiemian News Reporter | Qin Lixin

Jiemian News Editor | Ren Xuesong

Starting June 10, 2024, Caroline Brown will step down as President of The North Face global brand. She has served in this role since then.

VF Group CEO Bracken Darrell confirmed this news in a statement, saying: “Two years ago, I removed Caroline from the board because I needed someone capable with extensive experience in transformation. At that time, The North Face needed significant change, and she did an excellent job. Her tenure laid the foundation we needed and paved the way for the next leader — when we will have a strong leadership team, a new strategy, and a good momentum.”

Chris Goble, who will succeed her, was previously President of VF’s emerging brands portfolio, overseeing marketing for Altra, Eastpak, Icebreaker, JanSport, Kipling, Napapijri, and Smartwool. Prior to that, he served as Global President of Dickies, which VF plans to sell by 2025.

Image: Chris Goble. Screenshot from VF official website

Before joining VF, Chris Goble was the Global Chief Product Officer and General Manager for Gap North America, responsible for global product development and profit and loss across all channels in North America.

Bracken Darrell expressed confidence in Goble, stating: “I am pleased to leverage Chris Goble’s extensive experience in product, sales, and business to continue driving The North Face forward.”

According to WWD, Darrell praised the performance of the previous North Face global brand president in internal communications and said he would remain as an advisor until the end of Q1.

VF’s latest financial report shows that in the third quarter ending December 27, 2025, North America achieved its strongest performance in over three years. This was mainly driven by the group’s two major brands, The North Face and Timberland, both growing 8% in the quarter. Restoring the US market is a top priority in VF’s transformation.

In this quarter, all product categories of The North Face saw growth compared to last year, with functional apparel and footwear performing strongly, again achieving double-digit increases.

During the earnings call, Darrell said that besides product supply, The North Face is also strengthening distribution capabilities and optimizing marketing strategies. This quarter, the brand opened its largest flagship store globally on Fifth Avenue in New York, “reflecting our reimagining of physical retail for the brand.” On marketing, the CEO mentioned collaborations with SKIMS and the brand’s athlete Alex Honnold’s free solo climb of Taipei 101 (see Jiemian News: “Free Solo Climb of Taipei 101: The Madness and Rationality of Extreme Climbing”).

Compared to North America’s 15% growth, the Asia-Pacific region declined by 1%, showing signs of weakness. Darrell said this softness might persist through most of next year, “We experienced strong growth in Asia-Pacific for a long time, and we did expand distribution.” Facing growth pressures, he said efforts will focus on product and marketing.

After replacing the global brand president, Darrell expressed confidence in the new president’s product capabilities. He said: “Chris Goble has a direct business background and product management experience… This industry is fundamentally a product industry. Without excellent products, success is impossible. He has both of these strengths, and I believe he will bring great insights and perhaps a simplified approach.”

Additionally, the high-end strategy is seen as a key focus for The North Face’s development. For example, the “Summit Series” saw double-digit growth across all regions in Q3. Darrell revealed: “You will see us systematically change The North Face’s product offerings and elevate its high-end positioning.”

“The North Face brand is refocusing on three core functional categories: skiing, rock climbing, and trail running, while strengthening connections with global athletes and consumers. The brand has achieved steady performance across regional markets, with direct retail maintaining strong growth. Even in tough industry times, it remains one of VF’s most resilient and stable business segments,” Darrell said.

VF expects that in fiscal year 2026, revenue in the fourth quarter will be flat to up 2% at constant exchange rates.