[Photo by Malik Skydsgaard on Unsplash]
Outdoor clothing and gear company Patagonia earned global attention back in 2022 when the brand’s founder Yvon Chouinard effectively gave away the company in his lifelong effort to champion sustainability. With the hopes of inspiring a new form of capitalism, closing the gap between the wealthy and poor, he made sure to keep the environment at the top of the list of priorities.
As 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the company, the brand’s global head of creative studio Alex Weller appeared on D&AD’s festival stage to explain Patagonia’s mission over the next 50 years. He explained: “We felt the need to reflect on the significance of this moment and understand what it means to move forwards from this moment in time. What are the things that we carry forward? What are the things that we leave behind? And how do we approach the next 50 years with confidence knowing that we’re living in evermore challenging times?” The result was a look back to the past to help inform the future.
1973 - Brand Values and Philosophies
Patagonia historically documented the values and philosophies of the brand from the early days of creation, what we’d now liken to ‘impact marketing’ or ‘purpose marketing’. When Yvon realised that the equipment he created was damaging the environment, that was the starting point of changing the process and product to be more sustainable and support the environment. When the initial commitment began, Patagonia ensured that it was intentionally woven through the business.
2000 - Turning Ideas into Philosophies
At an employee and community level, Alex mentioned how the early philosophies were being updated and modernised to suit the current ethos and brand values of the company today. While the company initially didn’t advertise, it now ensures that external communications are impactful and made as efficiently as possible. He said, “Patagonia’s storytelling and impact moved forward [into the early 2000s] in order to make the most change possible. Of course, ‘Don’t Buy This Jacket’ will be familiar to a lot of people… It only ran once, in one insert of the New York Times.” Alex reflected on this ad as an “intentionally disruptive” spot that Patagonia ran, starting a conversation on the topic of e-commerce and circularity, and repair and reuse.
2010 - The Common Threads Initiative
The ‘Don’t Buy This Jacket’ campaign created the ‘Common Threads’ initiative which gave shared ownership to both consumers and the brand about how to be more environmentally responsible with clothing by avoiding overconsumption. It also brought on the ‘Worn Wear’ collection in 2010, with lines such as ‘Repair is a Radical Act’ – one of Alex’s personal favourites – which turned into a re-commerce platform as a core aspect of the business.
2015 - Moving into the Denim Space
In 2015, when Patagonia took on denim wear, it was less about increasing market share and more about shining a light on the bleak reality of the denim industry. Alex explained how the issue is twofold, “One in water consumption, and the other in labour practices.”. Launching with ‘Because Denim is a Filthy Business’ explained the reason for the decision as well as introduced consumers to the new products.
2019 - Black Friday
On the planet’s worst day for overconsumption and waste, Black Friday circa 2019, Patagonia launched ‘100 Percent Today, 1 Percent Every Day’ donating 100% of sales on the day to grassroots environmental groups around the world. Alex said, “At the time, Black Friday was this consistent, ongoing challenge for the company on how we wanted to show up when people are looking for a discount and fast commerce,” and so they allowed people to shop, but used the proceeds to support the environment. The result was $12 million in revenue globally, becoming a trigger point for being a for-profit company which championed real environmental change.
During 2019, the company also dipped its toe into politics and made a statement on president Donald Trump’s decision to stop protecting land which was previously protected. Aware of the polarising views, the company was keen to make a statement and push its views, no matter how many customers disagreed with it.
2022 - The Patagonia Purpose Trust
September 14th 2022, the company’s revenue was at around $1 billion annually and Yvon was frustrated by the fact that he couldn’t make change as quickly as possible. He was also keen to make an indefinite change – going past his own life – carrying on the legacy far into the future. So, the company is now owned by two non-profit organisations, which ensure the distribution of profits to environmental causes.
What has this done?
Patagonia has set a precedent for ‘Going Purpose’ which startups can consider from the beginning and established companies can see how profits and the environment can be supported at the same time. By creating campaigns that are focused on planet Earth, the commitment to preserving it and creating a better future, it’s creating a conversation about how the next 50 years are going to be formative in ensuring the planet’s future. Alex explained how the brand wants to inspire and grow the movement by doing three things:
Simplicity - Make fewer things that last longer and make do with what we have.
Human Powered - A connection with humans to nature will connect people to environmental work.
Resilience - Activism to support communities in harm's way but also encourage other people to join in and support as well.
By normalising this narrative, Patagonia is keen to share how it uses its business to improve the social and environmental conditions of our society. These will all come together in Patagonia’s 50th-year campaign launching in June of 2023, focusing on the negative environmental impact on the ocean.
[D&AD pictures by Christopher Bethell]