"Vote and hunt those idiots": Patagonia's label message against climate deniers

"Vote and hunt those idiots." This slogan has appeared on the labels of the Patagonia clothing brand for some time

Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerous

"Vote and hunt those idiots." This slogan has appeared on the labels of the Patagonia clothing brand for some time. A clear and unequivocal message addressed to American citizens who will soon prepare to elect the new president.

And Patagonia, thanks to its commitment to the environment, has decided not to use half words and to use the labels of its clothing to invite voters to change course.

For a few weeks, the images of the odd labels, initially considered a fake, have spread like wildfire on social media. While some doubted they could be real, Patagonia spokesperson Corley Kenna confirmed their authenticity to Mashable via email:

“We added them to the men's and women's shorts in our 2020 'Regenerative Organic Stand-Up' collection because we've been out against climate deniers pretty much since we started making those shorts,” explained Kenna.

The company has a long history of environmental militancy but now that the climate emergency is getting worse, founder Yvon Chouinard felt the need to denounce climate deniers who occupy positions of power. And he did it his way and hard-nosed, taking advantage of all the channels available to him, including the labels of his clothing brand.

And he launched a similar message not only through labels but also on the pages of the official Patagonia website, a message directly addressed to those who deny climate change.

"'Vote and hunt those idiots,' Yvon Chouinard has been saying this for years, referring to politicians from any party who deny or neglect the climate emergency by ignoring scientific data not because they are unaware of it but because the oil and gas lobbies they fill his pockets with money, ”continues Kenna.

If labels are new, their message is not unprecedented. In fact, the slogan had already appeared on a shirt and the concept was also reiterated on the Patagonia website. Last April, Chouinard also used the same words in a letter addressed to the "1% for the Planet community" group, whose members pledged to donate at least 1 percent of their annual sales to the protection of 'environment.

Since the photo of the Patagonia label went viral on social media, there have been many appreciations from the public.

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

— Corey Ciorciari (@CoreyCiorciari) September 12, 2020

Apparently, I need a new fleece pullover. Or 10. #VoteTheAssholesOut #votewithyourwallet #VoteBlueToEndThisNightmare #VoteForBidenHarris @patagonia pic.twitter.com/U1aWLXXDPD

— Leslie Deamer (@ldeamer) September 13, 2020

https://twitter.com/bryanhansel/status/1305883701255995392

However, this is not the first strong action by Patagonia, which in 2016 donated all the proceeds of Black Friday to non-profit environmental organizations. And in 2017 he strongly sided against President Trump's decision to significantly reduce the surface area of two national monuments: Bear Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.

In 2018, it also launched a digital platform called Patagonia Action Works aimed at helping consumers to engage themselves by participating in initiatives to protect the environment.

Finally, in June 2020, together with Norh Face, he decided to boycott Facebook and Instagram by withdrawing advertising to protest against the spread of racist and hateful messages.

North Face and Patagonia boycott Facebook to call for a halt to the spread of racism, hatred and disinformation

Sources of reference: Patagonia, onepercentfortheplanet, Mashable