The modern age of exploration plays host to a bevy of brands all claiming to be the premier purveyor of outerwear. Yet diluting this once utilitarian-focused industry are naïve clothiers appeasing the faux, urban adventurer rather than the genuine lover of nature with product that places form over function. What’s even more disheartening is not only do we now have a market in which the honest consumer suffers from an influx of futile goods, but also one in which our environment takes a backseat to aesthetics.
While brands with the aforementioned characteristics continue to take advantage of cheap production methods and fleeting trends, it’s the ones that have been around since the embryonic days of modern exploration that remain true to the sport as well as mother Earth.Founded by world-class climber and environmentalist Yvon Chouinard in 1973, Patagonia was one of the early clothing labels at the forefront of alpine-style mountaineering – a form of climbing that focuses on speed and minimalism. The Ventura, California-based company has since expanded into a multitude of other sporting realms, from skiing and surfing to fly-fishing and trail running, all of which are considered “silent sports.” There’s no roar from a motor or cheering crowd, but rather “reward comes in the form of hard-won grace and moments of connection between the athlete and nature.” Understanding the preservation of these playing fields ensures there will be a future for Patagonia, its mission statement guarantees the functions of quality as well as environmental and social consciousness continue to be its primary focus. However, it is a fourth element in its corporate values that place these pivotal responsibilities on both its employees and brand ambassadors; “use business to inspire.”Whether it’s a mountaineer, fly-fisher, snowboarder, trail runner, surfer or an employee with his or her personal hobby, everyone that supports Patagonia, and vice versa, does so with the utmost pride and sincerity. Each one of them strives for the best within their respective endeavors, while ensuring subsequent generations possess the means to eclipse their own achievements. Their actions, or business for that matter, inspire others to do the same.
To celebrate this band of athlete-environmentalists and those who make certain their apparel never compromises the journey ahead, Patagonia brought together a collection of its brand ambassadors and employees alike for an adventurous powwow. The goal of this event was to learn from and feed off each other’s work, educate each other on their environmental initiatives, and most importantly, have fun.
Here we present the people of Patagonia and how he or she is striving to preserve the brand’s ethos with every ascent, paddle and photograph. Best of all, our gracious Mother Nature was the ultimate guest-of-honor.
Ambassadors
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Jeff Denholm
It takes a surprisingly merciful spirit to consider your once near-fatal adversary your now closest companion and home to your greatest accomplishments. Having lost his dominant arm while working on a fishing trawler in the treacherous Bering Sea, John Denholm immediately began developing his own prosthetics to continue his love affair with all of nature’s beauties. Over the past two decades, Denholm has skied, mountain biked and even competed in triathlons and marathons all over the world, and yet he’s most comfortable when in the water. From diving for pirate treasure off the coast of Madagascar and riding Mavericks’ violent waves in California to completing the 32-mile Moloka’i to Oahu, Hawaii paddleboard race in less than seven hours, he is constantly aware and gracious for the ocean’s essential role in all known life, even after it almost claimed his. It is that admiration and spirit, akin to that of Patagonia, that enables Denholm to compete alongside the greatest athletes in the world.
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Belinda Baggs
Growing up on the eastern coast of Australia in the city of Newcastle, Belinda Baggs followed in the footsteps of her father and fell in love with surfing at an early age. The abundance of surf breaks in her hometown allowed Baggs to hone in on this seemingly natural skill to become one of the most graceful and technically-sound longboarders the sport has ever seen, earning countless awards, movies appearances and a cover feature on Surfer’s Journal, the first female to ever do so. Although she has taken a break from competing, it hasn’t stopped her from working with Patagonia to raise awareness for maintaining the quality of our world’s oceans. Through this collaboration and a modest lifestyle, Belinda hopes to inspire the globe to join in on her efforts so that her son as well as future generations are able to share the same passion for the ocean that she and her father were able to share decades ago.
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Jeff Johnson
It’s quite inspiring to know that with a bit of resolve and friendly faith a once creative outlet can turn from a casual hobby to an admirable means of existence. Just ask creative brand agent, photographer, published author and all-around outdoorsman Jeff Johnson. With the encouragement of Patagonia’s photo editor Jane Sievert, Johnson went from a point-and-shoot-wielding flight attendant with a pen and pad to traveling alongside Yvon Chouinard documenting the brand’s excursions as a writer and the first official staff photographer. It is through these vivid tales and breathtaking imagery that Jeff has helped shape our vision of Patagonia, re-launch its surf division and inspire a new generation of thrill-seekers to experience his photographs first hand.
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Caroline Gleich
Approaching our world’s vast environmental concerns with serious action is something many extreme athletes quietly neglect until the tail end of their professional career or until they can no longer reap the benefits of Mother Nature’s glory. World-class skier Caroline Gleich is not your typical thrill-seeker however. Although her list of professional accolades includes skiing some of the toughest terrains in the world, covering a slew of popular magazines and appearing in a couple of films, the first thing she lists under the “Awards” section on her Facebook profile is graduating Magna Cum Laude at the University of Utah with a Bachelor’s degree in anthropology. It doesn’t stop there however, as Gleich is also an active spokeswoman for global warming solutions, a published author in various environmental journals, the first skier to become a Blue Climate and Oceans Project ambassador, an avalanche safety instructor and so much more. With plenty of life still left in her athletic career, Caroline Gleich and Patagonia are only just starting their fight for protecting our planet.
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Dan Malloy
A crucial figure in Patagonia’s push for global environmental consciousness, accomplished surfer Dan Malloy promotes a self-sufficient lifestyle to help minimize the consumption of our depleting natural resources. Whether it’s biking to work or going full-fledge rancher, the Ventura, California native – also the birthplace of Patagonia – will assure you it’s not the “simple life” that it’s made out to be, but it is certainly the most rewarding path to self-enlightenment. In his most recent project, Malloy and two of his closest friends teamed up with the outerwear brand to publish Slow is Fast, a recount of their 50-day, 700-mile bicycle adventure down the California coast stopping off to enjoy its natural splendor with local farmers and artisans alike. If you’re unsure if the self-sufficient life is right for you, you can still learn a lot just from Dan’s book title alone; take it slow and enjoy the beauty right in your own backyard.
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Alexander Megos
Unlike many of his Patagonia comrades at the ambassador powwow, German rock climber Alexander Megos represents the newest generation of extreme athletes reveling in the humble pursuit of conquering Earth’s natural wonders. Following in his father’s footholds, Megos began climbing at the young age of five as his hometown of Erlangen offers some top-notch limestone crags to scale. After developing an affinity for competition in his early teens, he immediately won the German Youth Championship twice as well as the European Youth Cup twice. Now 20-years-old, the decorated climber has curated an impressive list of grueling ascents and is widely known throughout the sport for his exceptional speed. Although he considers rock climbing to be the perfect sport, Megos recently told Patagonia that he doesn’t plan on making it his life’s profession as he also enjoys combining his two favorite hobbies, photography and traveling.
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Lynn Hill
Climbing since the late ‘70s, Lynn Hill has accumulated several firsts for her sport, including the first free ascent of the world famous The Nose route on El Captain – a massive granite monolith in Yosemite National Park that extends nearly 3,000 feet high. However, it is her efforts in promoting gender equality, within and beyond the sport of rock climbing, that she considers her greatest accomplishment, next to the birth of her son of course. Having experienced this discrimination first hand and rather early at the age of 14 when bouldering in Joshua Tree, Hill used this ignorance to fuel her every ascent. The living legend often explains that she was not competing against fellow climbers, men or women, but instead against people’s expectations of what women can do.
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Fletcher Chouinard
The father-son-duo of Yvon and Fletcher Chouinard exemplify the timeless aphorism “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Nearly 40 years after his father began selling handmade steel pitons from the trunk of his car, Fletcher embarked on a similar path, building a stronger and lighter surfboard without compromising performance. However, just like his father, the young entrepreneur wanted to assure that his company, FCD Surfboards, didn’t cause any unnecessary harm by minimizing the use of toxic and non- renewable materials. After achieving such a feat, Fletcher set his eyes on Patagonia’s surf division with hopes of developing the perfect wetsuit with sustainability being his main focus. With the help of Dan Malloy and many others, the Patagonia wetsuit is now the most environmentally conscious version on the market. No matter what the future holds for FCD and Patagonia, the Chouinards will surely maintain that quality, performance and of course the protection of our environment are at the cornerstone of each endeavor.
Photographer
Rip Zinger