Patagonia is using its clothing labels to encourage people to 'vote the a--holes out'

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 16 September 2020

Patagonia is using its labels to do more than just tell customers how to wash their garments.

Over the weekend, an eagle-eyed customer looked at the back of a Patagonia tag, and saw that it read, "Vote the a--holes out." Patagonia spokeswoman Tessa Byers told NBC News this tag can be found in certain men's and women's organic shorts, and it's a message that isn't directed at one person, but rather any elected official who doesn't believe in climate change.

Byers said the company has long been "standing up to climate deniers," and this message is near and dear to Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, who has been saying the phrase for years. "It refers to politicians from any party who deny or disregard the climate crisis and ignore science, not because they aren't aware of it, but because their pockets are lined with money from oil and gas interests," Byers said.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.