Earlier this month, I was in New York City on vacation. As my wife and I walked up and down Manhattan and through Brooklyn it was clear that this fashion-forward city has an enduring love affair with Patagonia’s Retro Pile and Retro-X fleece jackets. Everywhere we looked, New Yorkers—from young Gen Zers to old-time city stalwarts—were sporting the fleece fashion. The Patagonia store on the Upper West Side was well stocked with these jackets, but other stores were also packed to the gills with Patagonia-like pile fleece knockoffs. Fast fashion brands from around the world that line Fifth Avenue all offered their own version.
The ubiquity and endurance of these fleeces got me wondering about the origin of the jackets, so when I got home, I called Patagonia. I learned that the company has an entire archives team that’s in charge of preserving the company’s history. Corey Simpson, Patagonia’s head of product communication, put me in touch with archivists Darcey Moore and Terri Laine and they walked me through the development story, which turns out to be better than I could have ever imagined. Here are the…
