Who is Yvon Chouinard, the creator of Patagonia ?

An adventurer at heart, Yvon Chouinard became an entrepreneur almost in spite of himself, and has an inspiring and original career path. Founder of Patagonia, he is really not an entrepreneur like the others. The preservation of the environment and his great passion for outdoor sports are at the heart of his atypical career, to say the least. Focus on Yvon Chouinard's inspiring story.

Back on Yvon Chouinard's story

Yvon Chouinard was born on November 9, 1938 in Lewiston, Maine, USA. He is the founder of Patagonia and Black Diamond, technical equipment and clothing companies dedicated to outdoor sports. Above all, Yvon Chouinard is a passionate climber, mountaineer and surfer.

He was also known to have participated in the golden age of climbing in Yosemite in the 1960s thanks to his inventions. Indeed, he initiated clean climbing and revolutionized glacier mountain climbing in the 1970s.

A climbing enthusiast from an early age

Yvon Chouinard began climbing in 1953 at the age of 14. At the time, he was a member of the Southern California Falconry Club. In 1957, he found that the pitons used for climbing were not strong enough. So he decided to make his own climbing equipment: steel pitons and carabiners. In addition to their robustness, his accessories were also reusable, contrary to what was sold at the time.

He bought a blacksmith's shop that he set up in a small workshop in the backyard of his parents' home in Burbank. His pitons (sold for $1.50 each) were a great success, so he lived at the time of their sale. He dedicated his work to improving his equipment to make them even more functional and to give them a very long life.

From craft to industry

The demand has become more and more growing. Chouinard thus abandoned craftsmanship for industrial manufacturing as its turnover grew. And for this, he teamed up with Tom Frost, an aeronautical engineer.

Thanks to their quality and practicality, Chouinard's equipment dominated the market in the 1970s. In 1972, he proposed aluminum wedges to replace the studs. This is how he invented the clean climbing.

It was also in 1972 that the first outdoor clothing for climbers and outdoor sports enthusiasts came out: polyurethane-coated anoraks, bivouac bags, boiled wool gloves and mittens, hats... The company was named Patagonia in 1973.

An adventurer turned entrepreneur in spite of himself

Beyond the colossal turnover of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard is above all a mountaineer, a great fan of climbing and surfing. He thus spends most of his time outdoors, even after he is at the head of a world-famous company.

If we retrace his history in a few words, he owes his success to his ability to invent and constantly improve equipment and clothing for outdoor sports. Initially, he simply wanted to create equipment to optimize his mountain climbing experiences. However, having noticed all the advantages of his creations, his circle of climbing friends in Burbank ordered him the same and so on. So much so that he quickly became, almost in spite of himself, the leading supplier of climbing equipment in the United States.

Yvon Chouinard describes himself as a climber, surfer, kayaker and blacksmith. In his book Confessions of an Entrepreneur... not like the others, Yvon Chouinard states: "I've been a businessman for almost sixty years. I find it hard to write these words, as if I had to admit that I am an alcoholic or a lawyer. I have never respected this profession. The corporations are mostly to blame for their behavior as enemies of nature, for destroying indigenous cultures, for taking from the poor and giving to the rich, and for poisoning the earth with the effluents of their factories. »

This makes it difficult for him to see himself as an entrepreneur. He didn't create Patagonia to enrich himself or to make a career, but simply to provide quality and functional equipment through meticulous work for adventure lovers like him.

Yvon Chouinard, an environmentally conscious entrepreneur

Even though his Patagonia brand has been an incomparable success, Yvon Chouinard is still committed to preserving the values that are dear to his heart. Protecting the environment is thus at the center of his concerns. So much so that in 1994, he himself made a report on the impact of his activity on the planet (ponds contaminated by selenium, landscapes destroyed by cotton cultivation...). Thus he decided, the same year, to manufacture all the brand's clothing exclusively with organic cotton.

The brand's technicians are continuously researching to design functional fabrics and above all more respectful of the planet. Also, organic fabrics such as hemp are today used with 100% organic cotton. The Patagonia brand also works with recycled polyester fibers.

In 1988, the brand initiated its first national environmental campaign for the Yosemite Valley. In addition, still in this ecological concern, Yvon Chouinard today educates its consumers to adopt responsible consumption. This is why he encourages customers not to make unnecessary purchases. Another initiative that makes Yvon Chouinard a uniquely successful and inspiring entrepreneur.

To support his initiative, he set up a repair shop for the brand's technical clothing in the United States. Patagonia stores around the world also offer repairs to extend the life of the clothing in its lines. Videos explaining the repairs are also posted online so that consumers can make the repairs themselves.