Why authentic activism is central to Patagonia’s brand strategy

In this excerpt from his talk at D&AD festival 2023 Patagonia’s Next Fifty Years — Why we can’t just survive, we must thrive, Alex Weller, Patagonia’s Global Head of Creative Studio, covers the environmental impact of fashion, and why “sticking an oar into politics from time to time” is worth the polarisation of the brand’s customer base.

Speaking on the brand’s Don’t Buy This Jacket campaign, Weller says, “This started a conversation about philosophy and a set of ideas it was really struggling to land in other ways.” It also gave rise to the brand’s Worn Wear platform, which has now become an integral part of the business model that prioritises circularity, repair and reuse.

He describes the brand’s entry into the denim category as, “an opportunity to use denim as a platform to talk about that side of the fashion industry, and how dirty and disruptive the denim industry is,” in terms of the product’s water consumption during production, as well as its common labour practices.