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The North Face started off in 1966 as a mountaineering and backpacking equipment company in San Francisco. It's since grown to offer all things you need to prepare yourself for the great outdoors, from skiwear to hiking and camping equipment.

The image of The North Face has transitioned from being a purely practical brand to one that makes a fashion statement.

"Their mainline products are seemingly so unassuming, so banal, so practical that each owner or subculture have been able to project their own identity onto those three simple curved lines and sans-serif text," the British culture magazine Dazed wrote in 2016.

The North Face has taken off in Europe in recent years — in its parent company's most recent quarterly results, released in February, it reported that same-store sales were up by 32% in Europe compared to the previous year. Overall, they were up by 23% in Europe in 2017.

The North Face is owned by VF Corp, the parent company of Lee, Wrangler, and Vans.

Swedish brand Fjällräven started out making backpacks for schoolchildren. Today, its well-known bags are loved by millennials across the globe. The store launched in the US in 2012 and has become one of the fastest-growing names in outdoor and lifestyle wear here.

Fjällräven prides itself on creating long-lasting products. "We're not interested in short-lived trends," Thomas Gröger, a member of the company's executive board, told ISPO.com.

It has a limited turnover of clothing with two seasons a year and no collection in between. On average, a product will stay available for 14 seasons.

"Our approach to product and how it works at retail is a bit different from the industry standards. We have products that have been in the line not just for multiple seasons, but for multiple decades,” Steve Stout, vice president of retail at Fjallraven North America, told Business Insider.

The Greenland jacket has been in the collection for 50 years.

Dickies was born in 1922 and is traditionally known for its sturdy workwear.

"Every piece of Dickies workwear has stood for the quality, toughness, and pride that embodies the spirit of the American worker," Dickies' website reads.

The brand transitioned into becoming the uniform of skaters in the '90s to now being stocked in high-fashion stores such as Opening Ceremony and popular retailers like Urban Outfitters.

The longtime family-owned business was bought by VF Corp for $820 million in 2017.

Birkenstock dates back to 1774 to a town outside Frankfurt where Johann Adam Birkenstock worked as a shoemaker. One of Johann's descendants went on to open two shops in the late 19th century in Frankfurt, making shoes with insoles that were designed to be supportive to the foot. From here, the Birkenstock brand was born.

These comfortable, practical sandals are champions of the "ugly fashion" trend we often see today. They first appeared on the runway at Paris Fashion Week in 2012, were picked up by a whole host of celebrities including the Olsen twins, Miranda Kerr, and Miley Cyrus, and have now become a staple part of any fashionista's wardrobe.

This has all happened without the brand having to chase trends.

"It happens every several years" David Kahan, CEO of Birkenstock USA, told Fast Company back in 2016. "The planets line up and Birkenstocks become fashionable again."