In Collaboration with Patagonia x Duke of Edinburgh
Our History
Prince Phillip Visiting children participating in the Duke of Edinburgh (1958)
Climbers who are believed to have jumpstarted the rise of Patagonia in the 60s and 70s
We know, we know trust me, this isn’t the most entertaining part of the site, but just like when your brother thumped you on the head for eating his biscuit he wanted, context is always a necessity, from our humble beginnings in California to the royal and historical beginnings of the DOFE In the UK this is how we have come to be from then to now.
1). The Beginnings for Duke of Edinburgh (1957)
Although the Duke of Edinburgh award had been started in 1955, it was only until 1957 that both boys as well as girls were able to compete and strive to win the award. it had originally been designed and largely spread by John Hunt, who at the Time, was an ex army man and who had also completed the very first ascent of the large Mount Everest in 1953, (So he had a lot of credentials!) John had originally created the Duke of Edinburgh award to attract young boys to join some of Britain’s main youth movements, such as the Scout Association, and at the time was not seen as necessary to join an organisation, but was instead made to be an option, an option that many boys took as in the first 12 months of the scheme, 7,000 boys had already been enrolled onto the program, meaning that John Hunt must have taken up advertising at one point in his life, because thats a lot of people for the short period its been opened!
Although the Duke of Edinburgh award had been started in 1955, it was only until 1957 that both boys as well as girls were able to compete and strive to win the award. it had originally been designed and largely spread by John Hunt, who at the Time, was an ex army man and who had also completed the very first ascent of the large Mount Everest in 1953, (So he had a lot of credentials!) John had originally created the Duke of Edinburgh award to attract young boys to join some of Britain’s main youth movements, such as the Scout Association, and at the time was not seen as necessary to join an organisation, but was instead made to be an option, an option that many boys took as in the first 12 months of the scheme, 7,000 boys had already been enrolled onto the program, meaning that John Hunt must have taken up advertising at one point in his life, because thats a lot of people for the short period its been opened!
And it was in November 1957 that girls would be eligible to start their Duke of Edinburgh journey, and in June 1958, the first awards would be handed out to girls, however the age ranges had differed, with girls being able to join form 14-20, and boys only being 15-18 initially, and it would only be until 1965 where the gold award for boys and girls would be made to be more similar and those who wanted to join would be stretched to the age of 25 in 1980.
Patagonia’s Birth (1973)
Patagonia had began much later in 1973, but had gotten its roots and seeds planted much earlier, the company had began by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, who before that was seen as an accomplished rock climber, began selling some of his climbing gear through his own company, Chouinard Equipment, until 1965 where he cleverly decided to partner up with Tom Frost (an accomplished climber himself) in order to tackle the growing demand and supply issues he had faced as a result.
All this success had resulted in the opening of Patagonia’s first store, the Great Pacific Iron works back in 1973, almost 50 years ago (If you can’t be bothered to do the math). The store had opened in the former Hobson meat-packing plant at Santa Clara, In Ventura, near Chouinard’s blacksmith shop.
2). The Development and Growth of Duke of Edinburgh (1980’s onwards)
With The Duke of Edinburgh, it had grown so much since its inception that it had been shared and used by other countries in order to encourage and reward young people for their work, for instance, the award has been opened up and started by many countries both in Europe and across the globe, examples being Australia, Canada, Bangladesh, Ghana, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, the United States and so many more countries, and is a majorly growing thing in the UK of course, the number of participants for the award has been growing each year since its true inception in 1957, as there are around 300,000 new participants each year, largely due to its constant promotion and encouragement in schools towards the youth, showing what a skilled programme it really is.
Patagonia’s Growth (1981 to Present Day)
Patagonia is now established as a world brand, and the leader of sustainability (Image taken from the Guardian)
In 1981, Patagonia and Chounaird Equipment had been incorporated within the great Iron Pacific works, and from that moment on, Patagonia had just been and still is getting bigger and better, expanding its product line to not only its climbing and rock equipment, but also things such as surfing and other sports, and offered things that were relevant to what their brand was all about, and by the 2010’s such as camping food and other resources, And now currently , Patagonia is a leading and global company that sells a multitude of items and accessories,