Patagonia sews secret messages, political division into outdoor clothing

Vote the A******s Out! Patagonia confirmed it has been sewing hidden messages into its clothing. Photo / Suppled, Toomas Tartes

When it comes to politics the US outdoor clothing brand Patagonia wears its heart on its sleeve. However this latest stunt has been a little more pared back.

In 2017 the company filed lawsuits against the federal government over attempts to redraw Utah's Bears Ears National Monument and has boycotted trade shows over political differences. The company is not quiet about its differences of opinion with those in opposition to their views on environmental and ideological issues.

But when customers begun finding hidden messages in the seams of their designer outdoor gear, they wondered if this stunt was real. The words "Vote the assholes out" was sown into the back of labels of some shorts. Pictures of which quickly did the rounds on social media.

Pure🔥by @patagonia. pic.twitter.com/PDCnHSqsjo

— Corey Ciorciari (@CoreyCiorciari) September 12, 2020

"The tags are real," confirmed a spokesperson for the company Corley Kenna in a written statement,"because we have been standing up to climate deniers for almost as long as we've been making those shorts."

Founder Yvon Chouinard, who climbed to fame by selling reusable pitons and mountaineering hardware has adopted "Vote the assholes out" as something of a catchphrase in recent years.

While the secret labels have caught the public attention in the US during an election year, far from uniting outdoor enthusiasts, they appear to have sown division.

Some hikers have taken offence to the stunt, with some saying the company's overly political messaging was reason enough "to rid my closet of everything Patagonia".

.@Patagonia doesn't want #MonumentsForAll, they just want your money #BearsEars pic.twitter.com/2nuvfS0imZ

— Natural Resources GOP (@NatResources) December 8, 2017

Taking issue with federal attempts to redraw US national park boundaries, the company has recently been using the slogan in marketing campaigns. In 2017 adverts for Patagonia clothing referenced the ongoing Bears Ears dispute, claiming "The President Stole Your Land".

The US House Committee on Natural Resources has previously taken issue with the campaigning outdoor company, with a more cynical view of the messaging. At the time the GOP's twitter account responded: "Patagonia doesn't want Monuments for all, they just want your money".

Earlier this year the company said it was committed to the eight ongoing lawsuits regarding the Grand Staircase National Monument and Bears Ears, saying "joining the legal fracas was both extraordinary and obvious."

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