1957 — Yvon Chouinard begins forging climbing pitons in California, laying the foundations for what would later become Patagonia.

1973 — Patagonia is founded in Ventura, California, producing durable outdoor clothing designed for climbers and mountain adventures.

1985 — The company commits to donating a portion of its profits to environmental causes, reinforcing its mission to protect the natural world.

1993 — Patagonia introduces fleece made from recycled plastic bottles, pioneering the use of recycled materials in outdoor clothing.

1996 — All Patagonia cotton shifts to organic cotton prior to the brand establishing supply chain goals.

2001 — Patagonia helps launch 1% for the Planet, encouraging businesses to donate 1 percent of their revenue to environmental organisations.

2008 — Patagonia begins to experiment with natural rubber wetsuits, rather than producing using traditional fossil fuel derived neoprene.

2011 — Patagonia seeks to disrupt the consumption-heavy Black Friday by publishing an advert stating ‘Don’t buy this jacket’ in The New York Times.

2014 — Patagonia introduces Fair Trade Certification into its product line. In 2026, over 96% of Patagonia products are Fair Trade Certified.

2014 — Patagonia supports Bureo to begin exploring how to take discarded fishing nets to make clothing. Fast forward to today and over 200,000 metric tons of discarded nets have become Patagonia products like the Micro Puff and Baggies Shorts.

2019 — Patagonia launches products made without intentionally added PFAS whilst maintaining their high-performance standards.

2022 — Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard gives the company away. Patagonia is now owned by the Patagonia Purpose Trust, as Values hold for perpetuity and all profits given to help save our home planet. Earth is now our shareholder.

Today — Patagonia continues to design durable outdoor clothing while leading the industry in sustainability and environmental responsibility.