Why Patagonia is risking its progressive brand image with a lawsuit against a drag queen

Earlier this year, Patagonia sued a drag queen and environmental activist performing under the name Pattie Gonia in a trademark dispute, and the feud is quickly becoming a PR headache for the eco-friendly apparel brand. After years of sometimes strained co-existence between the brand and the artist, the controversy gathered steam this month when Pattie Gonia, né Wyn Wiley, broke their silence for the first time since the lawsuit was filed in January. Taking to Instagram a few days after Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert gave his company’s side of the fight in late May at a conference, Pattie Gonia accused Patagonia of trying to “erase an activist.” Many among the drag artist’s 1.8 million followers on Instagram and 900,000 on TikTok left messages of support for the performer—and had harsh criticism for the generally progressive-aligned clothing brand. “What a time to show your true colors @patagonia …. Drop the lawsuit and literally LEARN your demographic. We stand forever with @pattiegonia,” read one typical comment. (To be sure, some commenters came around to the brand’s perspective: “Initially I was on your side, but after doing the research, you’re in the wrong here hun,” wrote one follower of the artist.) In its suit, Patagonia objected to Pattie Gonia’s trademark application filed last year to produce clothing, saying that it overlapped with its own trademarks and could confuse consumers, What’s more, Patagonia has said, the trademark applications breached a 2022 agreement that had maintained a détente between the parties. An uncomfortable position for a progressive-aligned brand On its face, the brand’s complaints seem understandable: some of Pattie Gonia’s designs do play off Patagonia’s widely recognizable logo, showing a mountain range against layers of color. Still, at a time of intense competition in the outdoor wear space—with VF Corporation’s resurgent The North Face, and brands like Arc’teryx and Cotopaxi ascendant—Patagonia can ill-afford the possibility of