Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, was passionate about climbing, since he was young. Hence it arose the interest  and the desire to build a personal equipment. Chouinard’s equipment in time was successful at the point that he had to start to produce it at industrial level.

In 1970 the Chouinard Equipment had become the largest supplier of equipment for climbing and mountaineering in the United States. During a climbing tour, Chouinard  bought a jersey of a rugby team, thinking it was perfect for climbing. It was blue with two red stripes and a yellow one on the chest. Once worn  all his friends asked him where they could find one. From there the demand was increasing, so Chouinard decided to also produce clothing inspired from that jersey. The name of the clothing line was Patagonia, exotic, charming, a place not marked on maps yet, perfect to describe the company. Patagonia has always been committed in the fight to defend environment, always  supporting several projects on protecting the planet.

The company uses only environmentally friendly materials, mostly organic cotton, but also pieces made up with hemp and recycled polyester.