I never wanted to be a businessman. I started as a craftsman, making climbing gear for my friends and myself, then got into apparel. As we began to witness the extent of global warming and ecological destruction, and our own contribution to it, Patagonia committed to using our company to change the way business was done. If we could do the right thing while making enough to pay the bills, we could influence customers and other businesses, and maybe change the system along the way.
Yvon Chouinard has not joined FLAPSS and has not endorsed it. This page is a reference record assembled from published interviews and public remarks. Every answer below is a direct quotation with the source and date shown next to it.
Yvon Chouinard
Founder of Patagonia
United States · b. 1938
Business and finance
About
Founded the outdoor clothing company Patagonia in 1973, having started by forging climbing pitons. In September 2022 he and his family transferred ownership of the company to a trust and a non-profit.
2 answers
Every quotation above is reproduced from the source shown beside it and has not been edited. Yvon Chouinard did not write these answers for FLAPSS. Request a correction or removal.