From the very first day that professional ski mountaineer and free skier Vasu Sojitra signed on as a North Face–sponsored athlete in 2017, he campaigned for the brand to incorporate more elements of universal design into its product line. Having lost his leg as an infant, Sojitra was the brand’s first disabled athlete and sensitive to how conventional gear can ruin an outdoor adventure for those who are differently abled. “He challenged us,” recalls Wyatt Grose, a technical soft goods and outdoor equipment designer at the company. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/09\/2026-IBD_social-share-2-16x9-1.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/09\/2026-IBD_social-share-1-1-1x1-1.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"Meet the world\u0027s most innovative design companies","dek":"","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"See the List","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/innovation-by-design\/list?utm_source=fcwebsite\u0026utm_medium=promo_block\u0026utm_campaign=IBD26","theme":{"bg":"#f4f4f4","text":"#2b2d30","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#444444","buttonHoverBg":"#ef5b24","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91604521,"imageMobileId":91604520,"shareable":false,"slug":"","wpCssClasses":""}} [Photo: The North Face] By 2022, Grose says, the company had a team of designers “building prototypes at our labs and then sewing them by hand.” Every October, the team would bring new designs to the Adaptive Climbers Festival in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, asking anyone who tested a product to fill out Post-it Notes with feedback and stick them directly on the item. It allowed the team to get real-time input, make changes, and then test again to gather additional immediate commentary. [Photo: The North Face] The North Face Universal Collection, the Best Design North America winner o

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