North End

North End: Corporate Outerwear and Performance Polos

North End is the corporate-uniform brand from Ash City, built for Fortune 500 companies, hospitality groups, real estate teams, and corporate events that need branded outerwear and polos at a more upscale aesthetic than your basic blank brands. The lineup is heavy on technical jackets, soft shells, 3-in-1 parkas, and performance polos—the categories where embroidery placement, year-round wearability, and a clean retail look actually matter. Most styles run in matched men's and women's cuts so corporate programs can roll out a single design across the team in coordinated colorways. Every North End piece on Bulkthreads ships same day with automatic volume discounts at checkout.

Performance Jackets and Soft Shells

Soft shells are the workhorse for corporate uniform programs because they cover three-season wear in one garment and embroider cleanly on the chest. The two-layer and three-layer bonded soft shell line covers most of that work: 88099 Men's Three-Layer Performance Soft Shell and 78034 Women's Three-Layer for the standard bonded build, the 88138 Men's Technical Three-Layer Bonded Shell for upgraded technical construction, and the 88166 Men's Prospect Hooded and 78166 Women's Prospect Hooded for hooded versions. The 88159 Men's Glacier Insulated Soft Shell adds insulation and a detachable hood for cold-weather corporate programs.

For lighter packable jackets and wind shells, the NE810 Aura Packable Anorak and NE810W Women's Aura cover the packable category for travel programs and event giveaways. The NE75 Network Lightweight and NE75W Women's Network are the standard lightweight uniform jackets. The 88083 Men's Techno Lite and 78032 Women's Techno Lite sit in the same lightweight tier with a more technical aesthetic. The NE708 Loft Puffer covers the puffer-style insulated jacket for retail-positioned corporate programs.

3-in-1 and Heavy Outerwear

For programs in cold-climate regions or any deployment where a single jacket needs to handle full winter through shoulder seasons (utility companies, fleet programs, outdoor corporate events, public-sector uniforms), the 3-in-1 line is the practical pick — outer shell + zip-out inner liner that wears as two separate jackets and one combined system. The 88006 Two-Tone Parka is the parka build; 88007 adds dobby trim. The 88130 Insulated Jacket covers the standard insulated 3-in-1.

For 3-in-1 jackets in matched men's and women's cuts, the 88178 Men's Caprice with Soft Shell Liner and 78178 Women's Caprice use a soft shell as the inner layer; the 88196 Men's Angle and 78196 Women's Angle use a bonded fleece inner layer for warmer thermal performance.

Fleece Jackets and Vests

For midweight programs that don't need a hard shell, like office uniforms, indoor corporate events, hospitality, retail floor staff, the fleece category covers the work. The 88174 Men's Gravity Performance Fleece and 78174 Women's Gravity are the standard performance-fleece pair. The 88697 Men's Flux Mélange Bonded Fleece and 78697 Women's Flux bring a more retail-fashion mélange aesthetic. The NE730 Jasper Full-Zip Fleece is the standard jacquard-textured option.

For vest layering programs, the NE731 Men's Jasper Jacquard Fleece Vest and NE731W Women's Jasper cover the indoor-uniform vest category for hospitality, real estate, and customer-facing roles where a vest is the standard branded layer.

Performance Polos

Polos are the daily-wear corporate uniform. North End's polo line splits into three families. The recycled polyester line is the right pick for corporate ESG programs that want a documented sustainability story alongside the polo: 88632 Men's Recycled Polyester Pique, 78632 Women's Recycled Polyester Pique, NE102 Men's Replay Recycled Pique, and NE102W Women's Replay Recycled.

For programs that prioritize cooling-fabric performance, the Coolcore polos use a fabric treatment that wicks moisture and creates an active cooling effect through evaporation: NE110 Men's Revive Coolcore and NE110W Women's Revive Coolcore — useful for outdoor corporate events, hospitality programs in warm climates, and field-staff uniforms.

For the standard performance-polo tier, the JAQ Stretch family uses jacquard-textured stretch fabric with snap-up plackets for a more retail-fashion read: NE100 Men's JAQ and NE100W Women's JAQ. The NE112W Women's Express Tech and NE115W Women's Eclipse Jacquard cover additional women's-specific polo cuts.

Quarter-Zip Pullovers and Layering Pieces

Quarter-zips and pullovers are the corporate-uniform layering piece for office, conference, and hospitality programs. The 88187 Men's Radar Performance Quarter-Zip and 78187 Women's Radar are the matched performance pair. The 88175 Men's Catalyst Performance Fleece Quarter-Zip uses a fleece construction.

The Rhythm and Mantra waffle-textured lines bring a more retail-fashion aesthetic. The NE200 Men's Rhythm Waffle Quarter-Zip, NE200W Women's Rhythm Cross-Neck, NE220 Men's Mantra Half-Zip Ottoman, and NE220W Women's Mantra cover the textured-fabric layering category for programs that want a retail-quality look.

The JAQ Stretch family extends into pullover and snap-neck silhouettes: NE400 Men's JAQ Snap-Neck, NE400W Women's JAQ V-Neck Snap, and the NE405 Men's JAQ Quarter-Zip for matched-program coordination across polo and pullover.

The NE729W Women's Spirit Textured Hooded Pullover covers a hooded pullover option in the textured-fabric category.

Performance Shirts and Tees

For programs that want hooded long-sleeve performance wear in the corporate aesthetic, the NE105 Unisex JAQ Stretch Performance Hooded Long Sleeve Tee brings the JAQ Stretch fabric into a hooded tee silhouette.

For corporate woven-shirt programs, the 88802 Men's Melange Performance Shirt covers the men's woven, and the 77042 Women's Fuse Colorblock Twill Short Sleeve Shirt covers the women's twill option.

All North End styles ship same day via UPS Ground and typically arrive in 1 to 3 business days. Automatic volume discounts apply at checkout (no codes required), and free returns are included on every order. Related collections: Devon & Jones, Port Authority.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between a 2-layer and 3-layer soft shell?

Layer count refers to how the soft-shell fabric is bonded together. A 2-layer soft shell bonds an outer fabric to a soft inner fleece, which delivers wind resistance, water resistance, and warmth in one layer. A 3-layer soft shell adds a waterproof/breathable membrane between the outer face fabric and the inner fleece for stronger weather protection in heavier rain or wind. For most corporate uniform programs (office, hospitality, real estate, retail), a 2-layer is enough and reads cleaner under embroidery. For outdoor programs, field staff, fleet uniforms, and any deployment where the wearer is genuinely exposed to weather, the 3-layer is the right pick.

What is a 3-in-1 jacket and when does it make sense?

A 3-in-1 jacket is two jackets that work together as a system. The outer shell wears alone in shoulder seasons (typically a wind- and water-resistant shell). The inner liner (either soft shell or bonded fleece) wears alone for indoor-to-outdoor transitions. Zipped together, the two layers handle full-winter cold. For corporate programs that want one branded jacket that handles three seasons, 3-in-1 is the answer — particularly for utility, fleet, and field programs where employees can't carry multiple uniform pieces. For programs in mild climates that only need fall-through-spring coverage, a soft shell or insulated jacket alone is more practical.

What is Coolcore and which polos use it?

Coolcore is a fabric technology that uses moisture-management fibers and structure to create an active cooling effect through evaporation — the fabric pulls moisture, spreads it across a wider surface area, and the evaporation cools the wearer. The North End NE110 Men's Revive Coolcore Polo and NE110W Women's Revive Coolcore Polo use the technology. For outdoor corporate events, warm-climate hospitality programs, and field-staff uniforms in hot environments, Coolcore polos read as a meaningful upgrade over standard polyester polos. For office and indoor uniform programs, standard performance polos are sufficient.

Are North End polos and jackets good for embroidery?

Yes — embroidery is the dominant decoration method for the North End line, and the brand is built around it. The smooth-faced performance polos (88632, NE102, NE110), bonded soft shells, and fleece jackets all hold a left-chest logo cleanly. For textured-fabric pieces (the Mantra ottoman, Rhythm waffle, Flux mélange, Jasper jacquard lines), confirm placement with the decorator before running large jobs — heavily textured face fabrics can affect stitch-out quality and may require a tear-away or cut-away backing upgrade.

Do North End orders at Bulkthreads qualify for volume discounts?

Yes. Automatic volume discounts apply at checkout across all North End styles (no codes required). All orders ship same day and typically arrive in 1 to 3 business days, with free returns on every order.