Damien Huang Joins Patagonia in Vice President Role

VENTURA, Calif. (June 5, 2006) – Patagonia, Inc., a designer and distributor of technical outdoor clothing, announces today the selection of Damien Huang as the company’s Vice President of Design, Development and Merchandising. Drawing upon his ten-year tenure in the outdoor industry, Damien will provide positive leadership and direction to Patagonia’s Design, Development and Merchandising departments, while helping Patagonia’s senior management team devise global product, marketing and distribution strategies. Huang begins his new role in July 24, 2006.

Huang comes to Patagonia from his post as Director of Outerwear at The North Face, Inc., where he managed the company’s largest product categories, worth over $300M annually. Employed by The North Face for over ten years, Damien has served in several roles at the TNF, including Director of Advanced Projects, Product Director of Men’s and Women’s Snowsports, Youth Apparel and Product Director of Equipment. Huang recently completed his MBA at UC Berkeley.

“Damien is a serious user of many of our core categories and brings a tremendous amount of experience in the design and development of technical outerwear from his 10 years at The North Face,” said Casey Sheahan, Patagonia’s CEO and President, “We look forward to Damien’s leadership developing new technologies and design perspectives in our key Patagonia categories. He will also have the opportunity to recast the structure and flow of our product process and bring both inspiration and discipline from concept generation to technical package hand-off to our factories.”

In addition to his design and management background, Huang brings a personal commitment to Patagonia’s core sports and mission statement.

“Fishing, skiing, riding, paddling, climbing, surfing: what an amazing opportunity to be part of a company that means so much to the outdoor industry and environmental causes. I’m thrilled to join a company filled with so much history, passion, and potential,” noted Damien, “I’ve always admired Patagonia for its innovation, product quality, and commitment to making the products with the least amount of harm to the environment. I am looking forward to contributing all I can to help the company succeed in everything it does.”

Patagonia, with sales last year of $260M, is noted internationally for its commitment to product quality and environmental activism. Its Environmental Grants Program has contributed over $20M to grassroots environmental activists since the program began in 1985, and its Environmental Internship Program allows employees to work for environmental groups while receiving their full paycheck. Incorporating environmental responsibility in to product development, the company has, since 1996, used only organically-grown cotton in its clothing line, and its most recent launch of synthetic fiber-to-fiber recycling – taking back its worn-out clothing and reincarnating it as new products, forever capturing the petroleum used in making virgin fiber. Known for a unique corporate culture, the company has been recognized for many years by Working Mother magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers,” and is a regular recipient of recognition by Fortune and Human Resources Management magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work for in America.”

Contact: Jen Rapp, (805) 667-4768, jen_rapp@patagonia.com
259 West Santa Clara Street, Ventura, Calif. 93001
Phone (805) 643-8616
www.patagonia.com