Patagonia history

Though Chouinard designed outdoor clothing throughout the ‘70s, it was the release of the signature Pile Fleece jacket in 1977 that put Patagonia on the map.

In 1981, Patagonia and Chouinard Equipment were incorporated within Great Pacific Iron Works.

In 1984, Chouinard changed the name of Great Pacific Iron Works to Lost Arrow Corporation.

In 1985, Patagonia introduced both fleece jackets made of Sychilla and Capilene polyester long underwear products in the same season.

That rapid growth came to a halt in 1991, when a recession crimped our sales and the bank called in our revolving loan.

Since 1994, every two years Patagonia have held “Tools Conferences”. They gather thought leaders and experts from both nonprofit and for-profit organisations to share their expertise with advocates from grassroots environmental groups that Patagonia have connected with through their grants program.

The formation of 1% for the Planet in 2002 made it easy for other companies to do the same.

In 2011, it launched the “Common Threads” program aimed at making its clothes repairable and recyclable.

In January 2012, Patagonia became the first California company to become a benefit corporation—a legal framework that enables mission-driven companies like Patagonia to stay that way as they grow and change.

In 2013, Yvon Chouinard announced the formation of a venture capital fund to help start-up companies that place environmental and social returns on equal footing with financial returns.

While it’d be damn near impossible to state the full scope of the Patagonia intersecting influence on runways (coincidental or otherwise) NYC fashion nerds might recall Patrik Ervell’s Fall/Winter 2014 show is a perfect example of the Patagonia fleece’s impact on high fashion.

In April 2017, Patagonia announced that merchandise in good condition can be returned for new merchandise credits.

In late 2018, Yvon Chouinard and CEO Rose Marcario changed Patagonia’s mission statement to reflect this shift: “We’re in business to save our home planet.” Photo: Jim Richardson

In 2019, it launched a program named ReCrafted that creates and sells clothing made from scraps of fabric coming from used Patagonia gear.