Patagonia

Frequently asked questions about Patagonia

The Patagonia Brand

The Patagonia brand was founded in 1973 by Yvon Chouinard in the back of a meat-packing factory in Ventura, California where the company HQ remains today. Although Yvon first began manufacturing climbing equipment in 1957, the shift away from hard goods to apparel was driven by the demand seen when the company started importing rugby shirts from Scotland & England. The popularity was driven by the rugby shirt's relative durability, breathability and the odd fact that the collar prevented waist pack slings from digging into climber’s necks. The adaption and rapid adoption of the rugby shirt to the climbing market highlighted the inadequacy of the apparel being used within the sport, hence a gap in the market was established and Patagonia, as an outdoor clothing brand, was born.

Since Patagonia’s inception, sustainability has always remained front of mind and a pillar of all business decisions. Patagonia’s name is derived from one of the worlds most popular climbing and hiking destinations, the southern Andes region in South America. Their founding principles were built on the protection of this area and to this day the company still finds its “why” in restoring, protecting and preserving the natural environment, however, their scale has now allowed them to continue this mission the world over.

Today they are better known for the manufacturing of quality outerwear, bags & luggage as well as Fly Fishing gear, however their drive to be as sustainable as possible has never been stronger.

• Patagonia Mission Statement: Patagonia’s purpose as a brand is simple, yet it is one most brands aspire to. They make products that are “built for years, not for seasons”. They are aware that the fashion industry is one of the least sustainable and therefore do everything within their control to make sure they make as little impact as possible. In 2022 Patagonia set up a charity called Earth and sold the business to it. Therefore Earth is their only shareholder and all profit made is donated back to environmental organisations doing grassroots level work in areas where their products are sold. Patagonia not only does everything it can to mitigate environmental impact on its throughput processes, but also with its profit. A true bastion of sustainability in business.
• Patagonia Outdoor Clothing: Since its inception within the outdoor apparel category, Patagonia has continued to bolster its range. Beginning with the humble synthetic fleece, they now manufacture some of the world’s most proficient Gore-Tex waterproof rain jackets. Patagonia’s outdoor clothing range includes everything from rain jackets to headwear.
• Patagonia Bags & Luggage: Patagonia’s bags and luggage range is second to none. The Black Hole Pack and Duffel products are industry leading whilst also remaining true to their sustainability values. They are extremely durable and weather-resistant yet made from 100% recycled fabric. The product offering also expands into lightweight hiking packs in the Terravia range whilst also offering something for everyday use in the Refugio range.
• Patagonia Fly Fishing Clothing: Fly Fishing remains one of Yvon’s favourite past times, hence it was only a matter of time before Patagonia pushed into this category and took it by storm. The synergies within the existing product range meant expanding their technical waterproofing & durable pack manufacturing into Fly Fishing categories was seamless and the finish of these products speaks for themselves.
• Patagonia Headwear: Patagonia’s headwear range covers everything from casual caps & trucker caps to technical alpine beanies, making sure that they’ve got you covered whatever the weather or landscape you find yourself in.
• Patagonia NZ: Historically Patagonia has been distributed in NZ via a third party, however in 2023 they took over the distribution of the brand. They now have a dedicated team based in NZ and opened up the first Patagonia store in Queenstown, New Zealand, which hosts the world’s very first Fly Bar. Their focus in NZ is going to be growing the outdoor hiking & fly fishing categories with and environmental spotlight and funding being put towards improving our freshwater river systems.
• Patagonia Warranty: Patagonia offers their Ironclad Guarantee to all of their products. Therefore if you are unsatisfied with a product when you receive it, or it doesn’t perform to your expectation after use, you can return the product for replacement or a refund. To further its sustainability mission, Patagonia has also established a network of repairers within each country they operate in. It is of utmost importance to them to do everything within their power to stop one of their garments from entering landfill. Therefore, regardless of the age of a product, you can return the product for repair. Damage due to wear and tear will be repaired at a reasonable charge.
• Patagonia’s Wholesale Impact Incentive: Another cog within Patagonia’s seemingly never-ending wheel of sustainability is their Wholesale Impact Incentive. This initiative was established in 2023 and allows Patagonia to provide rebates back to their retailers based on purchasing volume that can be either donated to an environmental charity of the retailers choice or be put towards becoming a carbon-neutral business. This is truly a frontier initiative that incentivises Patagonia’s retail network to further the good work they do as a brand. Therefore, by purchasing any Patagonia product, you can be sure that you are supporting environmental initiatives in your own backyard.