The Paradox of Becoming an "Fake" Outdoors Person through Sheer Consumerism

At first sight, the massive two-floor Patagonia store in the heart of Tokyo sounds like a place where the fashionistas of the world would spurn. Ceiling-to-floor posters extol the value of independence and ruggedness, as beautiful men and women are pictured cooking, kayaking, and hiking in the resolute mountains of, well, Patagonia. The men and women in the posters are simply dressed, with durable dark-colored, simply designed coats, jackets, and pants, a far cry from the vibrant colors and thoughts put into the arrangements among clothes worn by the passersby on Tokyo's high streets.

But look closer and one finds out that becoming the rugged men and women that shows off those simply designed Patagonia clothing does not come cheap. A dark jacket can easily set one back a couple of hundred USD, and even a simple white shirt, worn inside the jacket, can cost up to 40 USD. If one is to be equipped from head to toe with Patagonia goods in proper preparation for a hike in the wilderness, one can easily spend more than 1,000 USD at once. And that amount will double if one also buys the cooking ware, backpacks, tents, and other equipment needed for surviving the outdoors.

It is an interesting paradox. An individual who is rugged and independent should ideally be capable of spending little money to be in the great outdoors. They should be able to hunt their own food, build their own shelters, and even manufacture their own clothing from materials foraged from the natural environment. How can one be truly independent if one depends on a corporate giant like Patagonia to equip them with mass-produced goods for outdoor survival? And if the purpose of camping in nature for days and weeks is to get away from civilization, wouldn't the dependence on Patagonia defeats the purpose?

Think a bit more deeply, one has to give credit to Patagonia for cracking this paradox. The firm, deep down, probably knows full well that many urban residents in the rich world, so used to getting all the products and services they need conveniently, are incapable of truly being on their own in the wilderness. Yet at the same time, the firm sees a market where even the most city-loving individuals have desires to, even for a short while, "connect with" nature and perceive themselves as a natural part of it but getting away from the city and the consumerist society it represents.

Hence, what Patagonia set out to do is not to provide urban dwellers with the skills to survive the outdoors by themselves, but give them the impression that they can, at a high price. By shopping at Patagonia, avid outdoor lovers do not need to worry about being cold, dirty, or wet when camping or hiking in the middle of nowhere. And as Patagonia expands from a clothing retailer to one that also brands food and cooking products for the outdoors, Patagonia customers no longer need to worry about going hungry or eating unpalatable food in the outdoors either.

After all, as Patagonia has come to realize, urban dwellers are not really out to be a part of nature. What they want is to create an image that they are, in a highly picturesque manner that can easily be shared through photos and videos with envious friends and family back home. Patagonia is here to provide the Instagrammable look that the city-folk wants, to ensure that the glamor of being outdoors is there for people back home to gawk at, without the glamor deviating too much from the realistic needs and looks of a true outdoor type person.

Patagonia, in marketing the look, without the content or the skills, for urban residents heading into the remote nature, is following a growing market for people of the city to temporarily escape the city, but in style. In the olden days, rural villas or second homes allowed the rich to live in style while on vacation from their usual urban homes. Today, those rural getaways have become more accessible for the not-so-rich, as hotel chains build up new properties in picturesque natural locations, while glamping ("glamor camping") becomes a new fad. Patagonia and other suppliers of outdoor goods are there to equip the customers of these new outdoor residences.

As COVID-19 continues to rage on, the demand for the urban rich to get away from "civilization" will only increase. Few of them are really interested in living without the material comfort of the rich world, as thousands of NGO professionals in rural Africa doing their work on Apple laptops can attest. But many will be adventurous and rich enough to leave the city for extended periods, clothed in the most durable outdoor gear civilization has become able to manufacture. As long as COVID does not significantly diminish the income of these people, Patagonia is in for future growth.