Patagonia tells how rugby jerseys help fuel the start of the company
Patagonia tells how rugby jerseys help fuel the start of the company in their history:
“Clothes for Climbers
During the late sixties, men did not wear bright, colorful clothes, not outside. “Active sportswear” consisted of basic gray sweatshirts and pants, and the standard issue for climbing in Yosemite was tan cut-off chinos and white dress shirts bought from the thrift store. On a winter climbing trip to Scotland in 1970, Chouinard bought a regulation team rugby shirt to wear rock climbing. Overbuilt to withstand the rigors of rugby, it had a collar that would keep the hardware slings from cutting into the neck. It was blue, with two red and one yellow center stripe across the chest. Back in the States, Chouinard wore it around his climbing friends, who asked where they could get one.”