Yvon Chouinard taught himself blacksmithing to make climbing tools for his own use. In 1957, he started selling hand-forged rock-climbing equipment. The business grew, but steel pitons were causing significant damage to Yosemite's cracks and represented 70 percent of his income. In 1965, Chouinard partnered with Tom Frost to improve the products and respond to a growing supply-and-demand issue. Then, in 1970, he obtained rugby shirts from Scotland and sold them with great success. Patagonia's first store opened in 1973. The company later committed to organic cotton, environmental giving, repair, reuse, and food products. In September 2022, Chouinard transferred Patagonia's voting stock to the Patagonia Purpose Trust and all nonvoting stock to Holdfast Collective, stating that the goal was to use profits to address climate change and protect land, according to his own statement.
The path
- 1957Chouinard bought a second-hand coal-fired forge and began making hardened steel pitons for use in Yosemite Valley.
- 1965Chouinard partnered with Tom Frost to improve products and address a growing supply-and-demand issue.
- 1970He purchased rugby shirts in Scotland and sold them with great success.
- 1973Great Pacific Iron Works, described as Patagonia's first store, opened in Ventura.
- 1989Chouinard Equipment, Ltd. filed for bankruptcy protection and was reestablished as Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd.
- 1996Chouinard committed Patagonia to using all organic cotton.
- 2002Yvon Chouinard founded 1% for the Planet.
- 2022Chouinard transferred ownership of Patagonia to the Patagonia Purpose Trust, while all nonvoting stock was transferred to Holdfast Collective.
The numbers and where they come from
Every figure comes with the source it was taken from.
„It was founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973"
„Born ( 1938-11-09 ) November 9, 1938"
„make his own climbing tools by teaching himself blacksmithing"
„began selling hand-forged rock-climbing equipment in 1957"
„until 1965, when he partnered with Tom Frost"
„address the growing supply and demand issue he faced"
„was causing significant damage to the cracks of Yosemite"
„These pitons composed 70 percent of his income."
„In 1970, Chouinard obtained rugby shirts from Scotland"
„an American retailer of outdoor recreation clothing, equipment, and food"
„is based in Ventura, California"
„operates stores in over ten countries"
„and factories in sixteen countries."
„Revenue $1.5 billion (2022 estimate)"
„In 1996, Chouinard committed the company to using all organic cotton."
„In 2002, Yvon Chouinard founded 1% for the Planet"
„Since 1985, Patagonia has committed 1% of its total sales"
„Chouinard's stated goal was for profits to be used to address climate change and protect land."
„all of its voting stock , about 2% of total stock"
„All nonvoting stock was transferred to Holdfast Collective"
„In 1989, Chouinard Equipment, Ltd. filed for bankruptcy protection"
„the company was reestablished as Black Diamond Equipment , Ltd."
„In 2012, Patagonia created a new division called Patagonia Provisions"
„In 2017, Patagonia created a trade-in and exchange program called Worn Wear."
„In 2019, Patagonia launched a program named ReCrafted"
What to take from it
- Start by solving a problem you understand through direct use.
- A profitable product can still reveal a problem your business must confront.
- A second product can emerge from an unexpected customer need.
- Business decisions can change when their environmental cost becomes visible.
- The first step does not need to resemble the final company.
Where things stand today
The material states that Patagonia is a private benefit corporation based in Ventura, California, with Ryan Gellert as CEO and Charles R. Conn as chair. The material lists 3,000 employees in 2024 and revenue of $1.5 billion as a 2022 estimate.
The full guide as a PDF
Every step, the numbers with their sources, the mistakes and the lessons — as a document to keep.
Guide als PDF ladenSources
All the material this story rests on.
Transparency: every figure in this article was checked against its original source. Anything stated only by the person described is labelled as self-reported. Claims that could not be verified do not appear here at all.