Patagonia

   At age fourteen, Yvon Chouinard got his start as a mountain climber in 1953 at the Southern California Falconry Club. His love of climbing led him to create metal pitons (mountain climbing spikes), which he made in his Burbank, California, backyard and sold from his car to climbers from Big Sur and San Diego to Yosemite, Wyoming, and Canada. In 1965, he began a nine-year partnership with Tom Frost and, by 1970, Chouinard Equipment was the largest supplier of climbing hardware in the United States. In 1972, as an alternative to the environmentally unfriendly metal pitons, Chouinard invented an alternative, the aluminum chock, which could be wedged instead of hammered in and out of rock. Chouinard also realized that until that time, no one was making clothing specifically for climbers. He began importing garments from Scotland, England, Argentina, New Zealand, and Austria under the name Patagonia and soon thereafter began textile collaboration with Malden Mills (American) to produce fleece garments. By the 1980s, Patagonia was addressing the needs of the serious performance sports enthusiast and attracted other consumers who wanted to look like them.

   From base layer underwear that wicks moisture and insulates the body, to outer shell garments that offer wind and water protection and can adjust to weather conditions (their R1.5 "biomap design"), Patagonia is considered a pioneer and industry leader. In 1986, it committed to donate 1 percent of sales or 10 percent of profits, whichever was greater, to groups whose mission it was to restore degraded habitat around the world. In 1994, Patagonia committed to using only organic cotton in its cotton-based products and achieved that goal within two years. Today it manufactures outdoor clothing and gear consisting of organic cotton sportswear, travel clothing, technical fleece, Synchilla fleece, and Capilene underwear for those sports of alpine climbing, backcountry skiing and snowboarding, paddling, hiking, and backpacking. It also sells Lotus Designs paddling gear and Water Girl women's surf clothing.

   See also Performance apparel.