Patagonia apparel now available for co-branding
April 7, 2023
We have some exciting news! Patagonia is starting to make its clothing available to the promotional apparel market again.
The new policies for ordering Patagonia clothing with corporate logos are still being refined. Orders are only being filled now on a very limited basis. Currently, the best way to order is through promotional apparel companies like B* True Promotions.
Patagonia used to be one of the hottest apparel items in the corporate apparel world. The well-known retail outdoor clothing brand has always been committed to sustainability, environmental protection, and ethical business practices. Each year they give 1% of their sales to environmental causes. They have always been particular about the companies allowed to co-brand embroidered logos on their vests and jackets.
In 2019 they put a moratorium on all requests except for existing customers. In 2021 they stopped the practice altogether, saying, “adding an additional non-removable logo reduces the life span of a garment, often by a lot, for trivial reasons.” More specifically, the company said people are less likely to pass on Patagonia clothing to another person due to the logo, leading to increased consumption and waste.
“People change jobs, and the extra logo makes for an awkward re-gift,” they said. “People tend not to pass logoed gear down to their kids, and not everyone wants to be an advertisement on weekends, even if they’re proud to go into work on weekdays.” As a result, that clothing goes unused, “Or worse, gets tossed in the trash.”
Patagonia’s decision also came after they noticed many of the companies who were using their clothing for promotional purposes didn’t align with their values. Some of these brands were engaged in practices harmful to the environment or were not treating their employees fairly. By allowing these companies to use their clothing to promote their brand, Patagonia felt they were indirectly endorsing these practices.
In March of 2023, however, Patagonia announced that they would once again allow other companies to add their logos to Patagonia apparel on sleeves or back only. After careful consideration and a review of their policies, Patagonia felt that they could maintain their commitment to sustainability and ethical business practices while still allowing approved companies to co-brand using Patagonia clothing.
That means they will look closely at who they sell to. According to a company spokesperson, “We definitely look at the clients. Of course we want to have the best possible fit. That’s why we kind of got real vocal about, hey, 1% for the Planet members, B Corporations, Fair Trade – those types of things really fit nicely with our brand, and that’s where a lot of our focus was at one point. But that’s not always the case.”
It could be tricky trying to get Patagonia to accept orders with your logo. You can expect longer lead times for approval and inventory availability. Not all styles will be offered. As always, you can count on B* True Promotions to walk your orders through the process. Reach out to us and we can get the process started for you.
Brenda
p.s. – If your time frame doesn’t allow for Patagonia’s approval and production lead time, please contact us for similar options from other suppliers that will work for you.