Outdoor clothing company Patagonia is getting political with a new message on its apparel.
The phrase “Vote the assholes out” appears on select Patagonia clothes. Outlander Magazine was first to report the finding and it has since been confirmed by a Patagonia, according to Yahoo News.
The political tags are on one of their newest items, Patagonia spokeswoman Tessa Byers says. The 2020 “Men’s and Women Road to Regenerative” organic stand up shorts have the message placed on the back of the inside tag.
Byers says the motivation behind the hidden tags is politically and environmentally driven.
“We have been standing up to climate deniers for almost as long as we’ve been making those shorts,” she said. “It refers to any politicians from any party who deny or disregard the climate crisis and ignore science because their pockets are lined with money from oil and gas interests.”
Byers notes the message is not specifically for the current administration. She also says Patagonia founder, Yvon Chouinard, has used the phrase in the past.
The California-based company has a history of environmental activism and attempts at holding public officials accountable. NBC News reported Patagonia sued President Donald Trump in 2017 following his proclamation to reduce the size of Utah’s Bears and Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National monuments. Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law earlier this year. The act sends nearly $3 billion annually in federal dollars into national parks.
Patagonia Reactions
Reactions to the clothing tag messages are a mixed bag. Many people took to social media to voice both support and opposition.
Some say the political statement embroidered on the tag encourages them to purchase the item.
Though, others dismissed it as a simple marketing ploy.
H/T: Yahoo News
