Thread Report · 338 products analyzed · Updated July 20, 2026

What is Patagonia made of?

Short answer: mostly plastic. Patagonia relies heavily on synthetic fibres — 48.8% of their products are majority polyester. Here's the full breakdown.

According to Fibr's Thread Report (July 2026), 48.8% of Patagonia's 338 analysed products are majority-synthetic, with an average natural-fibre content of 23.6%.

338Products Analyzed
23.6%Avg Natural Fibre
48.8%Polyester-Heavy
15.7%Nearly All-Natural

Patagonia's t-shirts are 90% natural fibre, but their sweaters are just 6.5%. That's a 84-point gap — where you shop within Patagonia matters as much as whether you shop there at all.

The full picture on Patagonia.

Patagonia leans heavily synthetic. Across 338 products, only 23.6% of fibre content on average is natural. 48.8% of their products are polyester-heavy (50%+ polyester) — that means nearly half of what they sell is mostly plastic. Just 15.7% of products hit the 95%+ natural fibre mark — most items contain significant synthetic content. The most common fibre across Patagonia products is Polyester, appearing in 52.4% of items.

How Products Break Down

338Products

  • Synthetic

    <30% natural fibre · 243 products

    71.9%

  • Blend

    30–85% natural fibre · 40 products

    11.8%

  • Natural

    85–100% natural fibre · 55 products

    16.3%

Most Common Fibres (% of products containing)

Polyester
52.4%
Elastane
26%
Nylon
24.3%
Cotton
21.3%
Hemp
5.9%

Where to buy (and avoid).

Not all categories at Patagoniaare equal. Here's where the natural fibres are.

Safe Zones · 70%+ natural

T-Shirt90% natural · 17 products

Caution · under 40% natural

Dress37.3% natural · 6 productsPants24.7% natural · 34 productsShorts21% natural · 23 productsShirt16.4% natural · 33 productsJacket14% natural · 34 productsSweater6.5% natural · 10 products

What we found.

Across 338 products analyzed, Patagonia averages 23.6% natural fibre content.

48.8% of Patagonia products are majority polyester — that's 165 items made mostly from plastic.

Patagonia t-shirts are their strongest category at 90% natural fibre (17 products).

Their weakest category: sweaters at just 6.5% natural (10 products).

Only 15.7% of products (53 items) are 95%+ natural fibre.

All categories ranked by natural fibre percentage
CategoryProductsAvg Natural %
T-Shirt1790%
Dress637.3%
Pants3424.7%
Shorts2321%
Shirt3316.4%
Jacket3414%
Sweater106.5%

Sample Products

A selection of Patagonia products from our database — from most natural to most synthetic. Click to view on the retailer's site.

Lightweight Towel100% Natural
Lightweight Towel
Cotton 80%Hemp 20%
Shop on Patagonia→
Women's Point Reyes Canvas Coat100% Natural
Women's Point Reyes Canvas Coat
Cotton 100%
Shop on Patagonia→
Women's Cord Fjord Jacket100% Natural
Women's Cord Fjord Jacket
Cotton 100%
Shop on Patagonia→
Women's Corduroy Overshirt Jacket100% Natural
Women's Corduroy Overshirt Jacket
Cotton 100%
Shop on Patagonia→
Women's Utility Pants83% Mixed
Women's Utility Pants
Cotton 68%Tencel 30%Elastane 2%
Shop on Patagonia→
Women's Garden Island Jacket78% Mixed
Women's Garden Island Jacket
Hemp 55%Tencel 45%
Shop on Patagonia→
Women's Garden Island Top78% Mixed
Women's Garden Island Top
Hemp 55%Tencel 45%
Shop on Patagonia→
Women's Garden Island Pants78% Mixed
Women's Garden Island Pants
Hemp 55%Tencel 45%
Shop on Patagonia→
Women's Work Sweatshirt15% Synthetic
Women's Work Sweatshirt
Polyester 83%Hemp 15%Elastane 2%
Shop on Patagonia→
Women's Long-Sleeved Capilene® Cool Trail Shirt - Stratapeaks8% Synthetic
Women's Long-Sleeved Capilene® Cool Trail Shirt - Stratapeaks
Polyester 85%Tencel 15%
Shop on Patagonia→
Women's Capilene® Cool Trail Shirt - Stratapeaks8% Synthetic
Women's Capilene® Cool Trail Shirt - Stratapeaks
Polyester 85%Tencel 15%
Shop on Patagonia→
Women's Capilene® Cool Trail Cropped Tank Top8% Synthetic
Women's Capilene® Cool Trail Cropped Tank Top
Polyester 85%Tencel 15%
Shop on Patagonia→

The verdict.

Patagonia is a tough sell if you care about natural fabrics. With 48.8% of products being polyester-heavy, most of what they sell is effectively plastic clothing. If you do shop here, be very selective and always check the composition.

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Frequently asked questions.

What is Patagonia clothing made of?

Based on our analysis of 338 Patagonia products, the average garment is 23.6% natural fibre. The most common single fibre is Polyester (in 52.4% of products). The remaining material is typically synthetic — polyester, polyamide, or acrylic.

Is Patagonia cotton?

Sometimes — cotton appears in 21.3% of the 338 Patagonia products we analyzed, but it's usually blended with synthetics. Only 15.7% of items are nearly all-natural (95%+ natural fibre), so check the composition before assuming a piece is pure cotton.

Is Patagonia 100% cotton?

Some pieces are. Of the 338 Patagonia products we analyzed, 49 are 100% cotton (or near-pure, 95%+) — that's 14.5% of the catalog. The rest are blends.

How much polyester does Patagonia use?

48.8% of Patagonia products are polyester-heavy, meaning polyester makes up 50% or more of the garment. This is above average for fast fashion retailers.

Is Patagonia mostly synthetic?

48.8% of Patagonia products are polyester-heavy (50%+ polyester). Average natural fibre content is 23.6%, so the rest of the catalog is still leaning synthetic in most cases.

Does Patagonia use natural fabrics?

15.7% of Patagonia products are nearly all-natural (95%+ natural fibre). Only a small fraction of their range avoids synthetic fibres entirely.

Is Patagonia sustainable in terms of fabric?

Fabric composition is one factor in sustainability. With an average of 23.6% natural fibre, Patagonia is below average on this measure. Natural fibres generally biodegrade and shed fewer microplastics than synthetics.

Methodology: We analyzed 338 Patagoniaproduct pages, extracting the fabric composition listed by the retailer. Products are categorized by name keywords. Natural fibre percentage is the sum of all natural fibres (cotton, linen, silk, wool, viscose, lyocell, etc.) in each product's composition. Data is refreshed monthly.

Use this data.

The Thread Report is openly licensed. Cite it, download it, query it directly — just link back to the source page.

Last updated
License
Free to cite with attribution
Raw dataset (JSON)
info.tryfibr.app/patagonia.json ↓
Computed stats (JSON)
/api/thread-report/patagonia
About the dataset
How it's built & how to cite it
LLM index
/llms.txt

Suggested citation

Fibr Thread Report — Patagonia, 2026-07-20. tryfibr.app/thread-report/patagonia

Related reports.

Is Patagonia Sustainable?What the fabric data says — and what it can'tPatagonia Jacket34 products, 14% naturalPatagonia Shirt33 products, 16.4% naturalPatagonia Pants34 products, 24.7% naturalPatagonia Sweater10 products, 6.5% naturalPolyester at PatagoniaIn 52.4% of productsCotton at PatagoniaIn 21.3% of productsElastane at PatagoniaIn 26% of productsPatagonia vs Abercrombie & Fitch23.6% vs 73.7% naturalPatagonia vs Acne Studios23.6% vs 77.6% naturalBrand rankingsSee where every brand lands on natural fibreAbout the Thread ReportHow the dataset is built, and how to cite it

Explore the Thread Report

Part of an openly-licensed dataset.

This page is one view of Fibr's Thread Report — fabric composition data for major fashion retailers, free to read and cite. Explore the rest:

About the Thread ReportWhat the dataset is, how it's built, and how to cite it.All brand reportsFabric breakdowns for every retailer we track.Brand rankingsWho uses the most natural fibre — and the most polyester.Brand comparisonsHead-to-head fabric data for every viable brand pair.Research findingsOriginal findings built on the dataset.State of FabricThe annual report on fashion's fibre mix.MethodologyHow we classify fibres and compute every number.Fabric guides & researchHow to read labels, decode fibres, shop smarter.

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