The history of Patagonia began in 1973 with Yvon Chouinard's desire to have better climbing equipment available. Yvon Chouinard named it Patagonia after a trip through the Patagonia region in South America. In 1973, alongside his self-named company for climbing equipment, he founded Patagonia, a company for outdoor clothing. The goal of Patagonia is to produce the best product while minimizing environmental impact, to inspire other companies to follow this example, and to find solutions to the current environmental crisis. In 2022, Chouinard transferred the company to charitable foundations. "The Earth is now our only shareholder," said Yvon Chouinard.