Why Patagonia? — Edward Champion

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I feel awkward about my body, I don't feel like the picture of an outdoorsy person, and I work indoors for a living. Why do I buy Patagonia clothes? A mix of quality, warranty, and the company's commitment to its products. I like a little ethics in my clothes.

Ideals

I love that Patagonia is a company that practices its values. Employees get on-site child care, the company has transformed itself into serving the planet, and it takes wild swings on product categories just because it believes that's good ethics. The corporate landscape is littered with soul-devouring MBAs who want nothing more than to lie to you and turn around to profit as much as possible. While things may change and Patagonia is just a collection of people, for now I appreciate that I can do business with a company that is serious about the things I prioritize and value.

Warranty

I have been blown away by Patagonia's willingness to honor its warranty and its commitment to its products. If you wear something out doing what the gear should be able to handle, they'll happily swap it out for you. I've also been lucky to find an employee who was willing to do a product swap just because I lost some weight and couldn't fit into it anymore. I'm not one for taking advantage of the warranty at all. I've only sent one piece in for actual replacement after standing up on a bus and tearing it up. Otherwise, I send pants and shirts in to their Worn Wear program for repairs to the clothes I love. It's part of the reason I choose Patagonia over other brands.

Quality

I appreciate that Patagonia is serious about the quality of its products. T-shirts are thick yet breathable and are tailored well even for larger men. They're also the only place I'll buy long pants anymore. Every product I've gotten from them has stood the test of time. I have seen some diminishing changes. A warm button-down shirt isn't as thick as it used to be, so I'm keeping an eye on whether that trend shows up in the things I care about more, like T-shirts.

Trusting Corporations

All of this comes with a big caveat: trusting a corporation is inherently going to end badly. You can't put blind faith in an organization to have the same love and care for detail forever. Things will change and likely diminish. So this ringing endorsement comes with a caveat. And that's okay. They're great for now, and if I was going to buy clothing from any corporation, I'd still choose Patagonia. Check back in a number of years, and maybe things will have changed.

Ending

I recommend Patagonia to anyone, and I still do. I think the higher price is worth it for the quality you get back. I wouldn't bank on the warranty forever (looking at you, LL Bean), and I've seen little dips here and there. All that being said, I'm still choosing them at the end of the day.

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