[business of design] Brands

Blog on a brand you admire (not just the product or service). Explain what elements of the brand “speak” to you and what they say. 

I am loyal to two brands, Levi's and Patagonia. I am loyal to Levi's because I hate shopping for jeans and Levi's sizing is consistent so I never have to try them on. My loyalty stems out of convenience, but I don't know much about their history or their motivations as a company. Patagonia, on the other hand, has my loyalty because of how and why their company exists; their mission statement is to mission statement is to "build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis."


Much of what I admire about Patagonia is a product of the work and insistence of founder Yvon Chouinard, a long time a rock climber, environmentalist and outdoor industry businessman. I do admire all they have done for the apparel industry on the environmental scale -- as a veteran of the footwear industry, I have a sense of how wasteful it is. And in recent years Patagonia's practices really have made an impact. For example, Chouinard partnered with Walmart to advise the company on reducing packaging and water use in its supply chains. However, the aspect of the brand that resonates most with me is the way they approach growth.

In 1991 after years of rapid growth, Patagonia had a sudden slow down. They had to dump inventory and lay-off 20% of their employees. The company eventually recovered, but it was a lesson learned. Now, they plan for slow growth and Chouinard vows to never take the company public or to look only at the bottom line. This speaks to me because it is taking the long view. It seems like start-ups are a dime-a-dozen these days, coming and going, boom and bust. I think understanding how to have sustainable growth, yet still be profitable and influential, is a pretty massive feat.