It all started with a rugby shirt. Yvon Chouinard ordered them from overseas, because he found a brand that would keep his rock-climbing equipment from cutting his neck.
He soon began to make and sell his own under a new name: Patagonia. Now it's about much more than shirts, and about much more than the gear itself.
Patagonia works to deliver Earth-friendly and sustainable goods and donates a chunk of its income to environmental groups.
A book Chouinard wrote for his employees, Let My People Go Surfing, has been re-released with new material. Patagonia company exec Rick Ridgeway visits to talk about the company's environmental ethic.