Agreed, it’s much better to ditch “European” brands like Salomon and Arc’teryx which fall under Amer Sports which is owned (besides being 45% Chinese) in part by billionaire/premium asshat Chip Wilson:
In his book titled Little Black Stretchy Pants, Wilson wrote that he is not necessarily opposed to child labour, as "working young is excellent training for life.
In October 2024, a sign went up at Wilson’s home in British Columbia, which is the most expensive home in the province. The sign criticized British Columbia premier David Eby, reading “Eby will tell you the Conservatives are ‘Far right’ but neglects saying that the NDP is ‘Communist.’”
In early 2024, Wilson expressed concern over Lululemon’s diversity and inclusion policy saying in a Forbes interview: “they’re trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody.” He also criticized an advertisement made by the company featuring plus-sized women models, whom he said looked “unhealthy,” “sickly” and “not inspirational.” These statements were seen as offensive, with Time reporting them to be “fat-phobic”. Lululemon was quick to distance themselves from Wilson’s comments, saying, “Chip Wilson does not speak for Lululemon, and his comments do not reflect our company views or beliefs.”
Buying ethically is not as easy as avoiding most American brands. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper.
It definitely isn’t easy indeed. I’ve found a good European brand that focuses on repairability for my shoes (Think! Shoes), but most of my clothes I buy second hand.
Silly me … always thougth Patagonia was from Argentina … but its based in Ventura, California.
I get buying European, but ditching a responsible brand like Patagonia seems misguided.
If there’s anything like an ethical brand, I’m pretty sure it’s them.
Agreed, it’s much better to ditch “European” brands like Salomon and Arc’teryx which fall under Amer Sports which is owned (besides being 45% Chinese) in part by billionaire/premium asshat Chip Wilson:
Buying ethically is not as easy as avoiding most American brands. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper.
It definitely isn’t easy indeed. I’ve found a good European brand that focuses on repairability for my shoes (Think! Shoes), but most of my clothes I buy second hand.