“Where were you in ’92?” probes M.I.A. above a barrage of airhorns in 2007’s “XR2”, her homage to London’s fledgling rave scene of the previous decade. Assuming you were part of The North Face’s product design team that year, there’s a good chance you were on an office away day halfway up a mountain in Nepal. And while basecamp on Nuptse – the 7,861m-tall peak and the third chunk of the region’s “Triple Crown” for climbers alongside Mount Everest 2km to the northeast and Lhotse – might as well be a world away, not to mention above, sniffing Vicks in a car park just off the M25, what those hardy souls came back with actually had a surprising impact on the numerous dance subcultures that splintered out of acid house.

First produced in 1992, the Nuptse jacket, named after the mountain (itself from the Tibetan phrase for “west peak”), was the result of The North Face’s 55-day field trip spent on the roof of the world. Far above sea level, in treacherous weather conditions, lumbering your kit around challenging terrain with very little oxygen in your lungs, what you choose to put on in the morning becomes a life-or-death decision. The Nuptse was built for survival in this climate: made from lightweight materials, it pioneered a baffled construction that ensured the goose down it employed as insulation stayed in place. It was also cut to sit at the wearer’s waist, allowing for more fluid movements when climbing. And while this exacting environment shaped what has become the brand’s trademark item, its hardiness, not to mention distinctive silhouette, has seen the jacket flourish in more urban settings.

Indeed, the Nuptse has played a part in numerous music scenes and youth movements across the globe, becoming part of the style language behind hip-hop in New York and, later, grime in London. And, while older than comedian Mr Pete Davidson – for some reason currently the criterion used to calibrate age – the jacket retains its heavyweight status, despite its lack of heft. Like most of us, it has filled out a bit over the years – larger baffles were introduced in 1996, and it has seen minor tweaks and revisions since – but has only risen in stature, which is perhaps apt given its function. As the fashion industry usurps outdoors gear, rather than get left behind, it has become iconic.

They say that there’s always room for improvement. And while it’s not really our place to point out what The North Face could do to make one of the most recognisable items of clothing on the planet better – high altitudes are few and far between around MR PORTER’s west London headquarters – we have to admit that a splash of colour wouldn’t hurt. This new incarnation for SS19, then, hits the spot. The limited-edition Leopard Yellow/Genesis Print colourway was inspired by the mountain ranges of Africa, but true to form wouldn’t look out of place anywhere in the world where a hardy piece of outerwear was called for. Along with a clutch of other items from the brand behind that ubiquitous domed logo, it presents a jacket that has already seen the world, but isn’t going away any time soon.