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.)
