A Brief History of Patagonia Fleeces

A Brief History

Patagonia-Fleeces

Patagonia’s beloved fleeces trace their origins to a somewhat unexpected place.

The bathroom.

Malinda Chouinard, the partner of Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, was prospecting for fabrics in Los Angeles’ fashion district when she came across a roll of polyester intended for toilet seat covers.

Her search for fabrics was inspired by her husband’s favorite wool sweater. But for all the natural properties of sheep’s wool, Yvon’s sweater came with a few drawbacks. Leonard Basse from Patagonia told HHV, “In his early days of climbing, Yvon Chouinard mostly wore wool sweaters to keep warm on the mountain. However, as wool is heavy, especially when wet, and not as packable, he continuously looked for alternatives.

Enter Patagonia’s first polyester-fleece sweater in 1979. Yvon’s brief for the design described it as “heather blue,” with a zipped front and no pockets. Compared to his wool sweater, the benefits of the synthetic prototype came down to practicality. It weighed less, absorbed less water, was machine washable, and dried quickly. Shortly after, the Chounards reached out to Massachusets-based Polartec (at the time called Malden Mills) to create the fabric for Patagonia’s first fleece sweater. Now, this material is not only a staple for Patagonia, but for the industry at large. More commonly referred to as polar fleece, it is used across a wide variety of garments from sweaters to hats to blankets and so much more.

Patagonia and Polartec still work together today, as Basse notes, “Today, Patagonia still works with Polartec on the material for example for the Retro Pile fleece but also for baselayers like our Cap Thermal line.

For all its performance qualities, one significant con of petroleum-based fibers like virgin polyester is their reliance on fossil fuels. Naturally, this conflicted with the Chounards’ commitment to sustainability, so Patagonia went back to the drawing board. Working with their suppliers, Patagonia started to investigate recycled polyester, and the brand’s first recycled polyester fleece was made in the color of the bottles it was made from: soda-bottle green.

Continuing this commitment to using recycled materials, Patagonia’s mission eventually brought them full circle to where they started, with wool. Using recycled wool diverted from landfills, Patagonia created a blend with the brand’s signature synthetic fleece.

Often referred to as high-pile fleece, this fuzzy, teddy bear-esque material became a trend in its own right in 2018, when fleece sweaters made by Patagonia and other outerwear brands started appearing in cities and street style galleries from fashion week.

The secret to the success of Patagonia’s fleece catalog, this changing, evolving, and experimenting ultimately led to 2018 when Patagonia started a fleece incubator called fleecelab, a department devoted to tinkering with blends of recycled synthetic and natural materials, including recycled wool. Patagonia’s fleecelab is also the name of a full fleece collection that includes Yvon’s classic sweater archetype, in addition to a range of more modern silhouettes intended for outdoor use, plus off-mountain lifestyle designs.

Describing the function of fleecelab, Basse tells HHV “The fleecelab was established to continue the transition towards preferred materials in all of Patagonia’s product line. The collection showcased this work as it included products with a lighter footprint through recycled materials or the inclusion of natural fibers such as recycled wool while maintaining the same level of quality, performance, and durability.”

Patagonia’s Basse notes two specific product milestones in the development of Patagonia’s fleece catalog. “Shortly after establishing the first fleece jacket, Patagonia developed the thinner Synchilla fleece in 1985 as well as the Retro Pile fleece in 1988. Our sportswear fleeces include the original Retro Pile, Synchilla and Snap-T products that we produced for decades and that stand the test of time.”

Patagonia is building products that will serve their owners for years. From mountain switchbacks to city sidewalks, the brand’s fleece garments have earned adoration from many people in many places, and for good reason.

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Text: Chris Danforth