The North Face seems to be taking a page out of REI’s playbook with this latest move, using Earth Day as a platform to talk about the outdoors and encourage both its employees and its customers to head outside and explore. REI for years has made a similar move on Black Friday, shuttering its stores and giving employees the day off, with orders to #OptOutside instead.
Explore Mode seems to be founded on the same principles, and Earth Day is a natural choice for an outdoor retailer trying to position itself as a champion of the environment and exploration alongside competitors like REI and Patagonia.