US clothing brand Patagonia has launched a trademark infringement lawsuit against activist drag performer Pattie Gonia.
The clothing brand Patagonia, which takes its name from a geographical region spanning parts of Argentina and Chile, has used the name since the early 1970s. Pattie Gonia, the drag persona of Wyn Wiley, has been active since 2018, campaigning for greater environmental awareness and building support for LGBTIQA+ people within outdoor communities.
In January 2026, the clothing and outdoor company filed a lawsuit alleging that the drag performer was infringing its trademark by moving into branded clothing linked to their activism.
On 27 May Pattie Gonia responded to the concerns releasing an open letter and a video.
“Patagonia is taking me to court because they claim I’m causing ‘irreparable’ harm to their brand by doing, and wait for it, ‘motivational speaking services in support of environmental sustainability’ and ‘organising, arranging, and conducting trail and hiking events,'” the performer said.
“If your executives and lawyers continue to pursue this lawsuit, it will make one thing clear – they are willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to grind me down so far that I can’t continue to operate,” Pattie Gonia said.
Patagonia has responded by saying it had tried to avoid taking legal action.
“Over the past several years, we’ve tried to find a path forward that would allow Pattie Gonia to continue their work while also protecting the Patagonia trademark. These conversations have included multiple proposals, each intended to support that path, along with ongoing dialogue and genuine efforts to avoid this ending up in court. Unfortunately, we could not reach an agreement,” the company said in a statement.
“Patagonia has a responsibility to protect the company that generations of employees have helped build, not because a name matters more than people, but because that name carries trust, purpose, and decades of work connected to environmental activism, product, storytelling and community impact. Protecting the Patagonia trademark is part of protecting the ability of this company to continue doing that work in the future,” the statement continued.
