In this resurfaced conversation from 2019, Ryan Honeyman talks with longtime Patagonia leader Vincent Stanley about how a company rooted in climbing culture grew into a global business while trying to stay accountable to people and the planet. The discussion opens with Patagonia’s early approach to marketing, the dirtbag ethos that shaped the company’s expectations for quality and honesty, and the internal habits that formed long before Patagonia became a household name. Vincent reflects on why authenticity mattered from the beginning and how the company’s identity was built through community, storytelling, and a focus on making the best product possible.
The episode then moves into Patagonia’s evolution as its scale, customer base, and product lines grew. Vincent describes how the company learned to communicate with audiences far beyond the original climbing world, why they avoided traditional advertising, and how films became a way to convey emotion, place, and ecological urgency. He talks about the thinking behind advocacy projects like DamNation, the role of brand ambassadors who embody a sport’s deeper values, and how stores became hubs for local community and environmental organizing.
From there, the conversation turns to activism, risk, and the responsibilities of a mission-driven business. Vincent discusses the internal debates behind “Don’t Buy This Jacket” and the Black Friday donation campaign, the backlash they received in earlier decades around issues like reproductive rights, and what makes a company’s political stance credible rather than opportunistic. He and Ryan explore how Patagonia thinks about pricing, supply chains, and fairness; the differences between private and publicly traded purpose-led companies; and what it looks like to balance long-term stewardship with short-term pressures. The episode closes with an inside look at Tin Shed Ventures, Patagonia Provisions, the regenerative organic standard, and how B Corp status helped anchor the company’s legal and operational commitments.
This episode is being resurfaced on Beyond the B because it offers a clear window into the kinds of tensions, choices, and long-range thinking that many B Corps are navigating today.
What You’ll Learn
Learn why Patagonia resisted traditional marketing and chose storytelling rooted in lived experience, product integrity, and community
Discover how Patagonia used film to communicate emotion, place, and ecological urgency in ways traditional marketing rarely can
Explore how brand ambassadors contribute to authentic community-building when they reflect the company’s deeper values rather than trends or celebrity
Understand why Patagonia takes public stances on issues like public lands, reproductive rights, and climate, and how those decisions emerge from long-term commitments
Hear the story behind campaigns like “Don’t Buy This Jacket” and why they required real risk-taking from the board
Learn how Patagonia balances product pricing, fair labor, supply chain realities, and long-term durability in a world where clothing has become artificially cheap
Discover how Tin Shed Ventures invests differently than conventional impact funds, including the absence of an exit strategy and the focus on regenerative potential
Explore why Patagonia sees regenerative organic agriculture as a way to move from “doing less harm” toward repair
Quotations
“Marketing was never something we had to invent. We just tried to tell the truth as clearly as we could.” — Vincent Stanley
“You have to stand for what you stand for. Otherwise people will sense when you’re not being consistent.” — Vincent Stanley
“It’s easier to show the emotional and even spiritual dimension of a place or a sport through film than it is through words.” — Vincent Stanley
“Clothing is too cheap because it’s been made cheap at the expense of workers and the environment.” — Vincent Stanley
“The B Impact Assessment gave us a holistic view and pushed us to make changes faster than we might have on our own.” — Vincent Stanley
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode
Patagonia: https://www.patagonia.com/
Patagonia Provisions: https://www.patagoniaprovisions.com/
Tin Shed Ventures: https://www.tinshed.ventures/
Regenerative Organic Alliance: https://regenorganic.org/
180° South (film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1456060/
DamNation (film): https://www.patagonia.com/stories/damnation/video-63845.html
1% for the Planet: https://onepercentfortheplanet.org/
Next Economy MBA (LIFT Economy): https://www.lifteconomy.com/mba
Next Economy Now podcast archive: https://www.lifteconomy.com/podcast
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Gratitude
Thank you to Corey Lien, Nozomii Torii, and Kirsten G. Bryant for being our monthly contributors at Beyond the B!