If you’re a fan of vintage Patagonia, you’ll enjoy this walk down memory lane. I collect all sorts of things – from sneakers, to jeans, to baseball cards, to old catalogs and magazines. I suppose this is a trait I picked up from my mom, who has saved boxes and boxes of catalogs as far back as the ’80s. Once in a while, she’ll give me a bag full of magazines to sort through and ask if I want any of them.
Vintage Patagonia Fall/Winter 1993
While sifting through a bag last week, I found a gem: the Patagonia Fall/Winter catalog from 1993. My eyes grew wide as I flipped through the pages and saw all the glorious outerwear in an a myriad of colors. It’s incredible to see how many outerwear options they featured back then.
Looking back, Patagonia was way ahead of their time in terms of technology, sustainability, and love of the environment. Their catalogs today barely feature any product, but that was not the case back in ’93. There were definitely plenty of short articles about how to save the environment and the brave, daring souls scampering up treacherous rocky cliffs, but there was also page after page of burnt chili anoraks, Prussian blue parkas, and eggplant fleeces to choose from.
As most of you know, I view the ’90s as the greatest decade for sneakers, jerseys, and sports in general. After looking through the Patagonia ’93 catalog, it’s incredible to see the influence they made on outerwear. It’s also clear how much Nike must have been inspired by the technology Patagonia was perfecting. Virtually every page explained how advanced their jackets were in terms of wind and water resistance as well as breathability.
I’m much more familiar with Nike’s ACG line, and have written about it here. Nike took off with DRI-F.I.T., STORM-F.I.T., and CLIMA-F.I.T. in the mid-90s, which were very similar technologies. And you can’t deny the similarities in color palette between Nike’s ACG line and Patagonia.
Patagonia has been smart by bringing some of their classics back in recent years (like the Retro-X jacket), but I think they could go a lot further and bring more back. The ’90s style is incredibly popular now, so I think a lot of the retro product would do quite well. And, if they decide not to go that route, I supposed I’ll have to add a “Vintage Patagonia” to my eBay saved Watch List.
