Patagonia in Korea: Making 100 Billion KRW a Year by Selling Durability and a Mission
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Patagonia Korea is on track to surpass 1000 billion KRW in annual sales (about 100 billion JPY) after posting 93 billion KRW in the previous fiscal year. The outdoor brand, founded by American climber-blacksmith Yvon Chouinard in 1973, ranks roughly fourth globally by country sales and has built a strong Korean following without heavy celebrity marketing. Patagonia’s success in Korea stems from high-quality, repairable, and stylish clothing—90% of sales are apparel, especially jackets and T-shirts—and consumers’ appreciation for its environmental stance. The company emphasizes sustainability: it avoids products like jeans and many shoes because of their heavy environmental impact, donates 1% of sales to environmental groups, uses fair-trade and organic materials, and declared in 2019 that “We’re in business to save our home planet.” In Seoul, Patagonia opened the world’s first “Quality Lab,” offering free repairs for all brands and free special care for its own waterproof garments to extend product life and reduce waste. Patagonia Korea’s manager attributes success to persistence, team effort, and aligning business with environmental goals; the brand plans more collaboration and systemic change over competition to address the climate crisis. (Quality Lab: a repair and care service space run by Patagonia)
