Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman--Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual

by Yvon Chouinard

The mail-order catalog has always been our “soapbox” and enables us to transmit information about Patagonia’s philosophies and products directly to people’s homes and businesses anywhere in the world. Mail order actively works with our retail stores, dealers, and the international network to support companywide efforts to develop and retain loyal Patagonia customers. My first principle of mail order argues that “selling” ourselves and our philosophy is equally important to selling product. Telling the Patagonia story and educating the Patagonia customer on layering systems, on environmental issues, and on the business itself are as much the catalog’s mission as is selling the products. This has several practical implications, including how we measure the success of a catalog, how we format the information, and how we allocate space. Above its value as a sales tool, the catalog is first of all an image piece, presenting the company’s values and obligations.

selling the principles behind the operation