The Patagonia Better Sweater Fleece Vest is by far one of the brand’s most popular products. It’s also one of its most divisive. Over the last five years, the vest became a must-have accessory for Wall Street workers in Manhattan’s financial district to tech bros in Silicon Valley.
The company says at its height, it was fielding 60 requests for co branded vests, a day. But Patagonia, a private company that values environmental and political activism, never sought out to become the go-to status symbol for some of the biggest and richest corporations in the world.
The combination of hefty price tags and a professional-class of super fans earned it the nickname “Patagucci” prompting it to reevaluate which companies it allowed to put a moniker on the vest as a way to ensure their partners align with their progressive culture.
Patagonia even discouraged consumers from partaking in Black Friday sales and snuck political messages into the tags of its clothing. Here’s how Patagonia’s anti consumption philosophy helped it build a billion dollar outdoor brand.
Steve Tidball is the CEO and co-founder of Vollebak, a men’s outerwear label launched with one question: what does the future of clothing look like? Steve and his brother Nick dreamed up the brand while running ultra-marathons in extreme conditions. Today, leaning heavily on science and technology, their team creates pieces from materials most have never thought to use, from titanium to graphene.
The Indestructible Puffer is made from Dyneema which is the single strongest fibre known to man today. If you’re into chemistry, it’s an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene that combines extreme strength with very low weight. On a weight for weight basis Dyneema is up to 15x stronger than steel and 40% stronger than high-strength aramid fibres. While it’s often used as a composite – an ingredient added to other materials to make them exceptionally strong – the entire outside of this jacket is made from 100% Dyneema.
ThredUp, which sells brands ranging from American Eagle Outfitters to Burberry, may prove to be a beneficial partner to many retailers. A separate report from Accenture Strategy and Fashion For Good found that recommerce operating margin for the luxury, premium and mid-market sectors was 39%, 28% and 22%, respectively.
platform ThredUp.
Having established our Simply Sartorial collection that offers a rainbow of strong, confident colours – and which remains our best seller – we have taken a playful approach to patterns and textures. We have added jacquards, herringbones, merinos and cashmeres to the range.
In addition to the pop-up Worn Wear store, Patagonia also has Worn Wear mobile repair stations, which visit a variety of locations, including Patagonia stores, specialty retailers, ski resorts and colleges to offer up their refurbishment capabilities. The mobile stations have been to over 135 locations so far, according to the release, and will fix products from any brand.
Patagonia on Thursday opened its first ever physical store for Worn Wear, Patagonia’s resale business. The store is a pop-up in Boulder, Colorado, which will stay open until February 2020, according to a press release emailed to Retail Dive.
Alpha Jacket’s fabric is both stylish yet waterproof and wind-resistant, and its high-collar design and cut gives it the appeal of a casual blazer, but with reflective piping and a durable design that you can comfortably wear anywhere in the outdoors. Each jacket is armed with 8 pockets on the inside, for everything from your phone to your power-bank, keys, sunglasses, wallet, and even an iPad. Plus, a dedicated pouch for carrying a water-bladder to sip from while on the go. Pockets on the outside of the jacket find their place on the breast as well as the sleeve, secured with concealed YKK zippers that match the quality build of the rest of the jacket.
