In a legal showdown that pits environmental advocacy against brand protection, Ventura-based outdoor apparel giant Patagonia has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against drag queen and environmental activist Pattie Gonia. The January 21 lawsuit, filed in California federal court, seeks just $1 in damages but asks for far more—a court order to stop the performer from using a name that's been her identity since 2018.
The dispute centers on a play on words that seemed harmless at first: Pattie Gonia, the drag persona of Wyn Wiley. According to Reuters, Wiley uses the name on clothing and for services including "motivational speaking services in support of environmental sustainability" and "organizing, arranging, and conducting trail and hiking events"—activities that overlap directly with Patagonia's brand identity. Patagonia alleges this creates consumer confusion and threatens the brand it has spent over 50 years building.
From Agreement to Accusation
The relationship between Patagonia and Pattie Gonia wasn't always adversarial. As reported by Bloomberg Law, Patagonia first raised concerns in 2022 when Pattie Gonia was discussing a fundraising partnership with Hydroflask. The company says the parties reached an understanding, memorialized in emails, that Wiley would not use "Pattie Gonia in any form on product" or imitate the company's branding, including its distinctive Belwe font or mountain logo.
For a while, according to Patagonia's statement on Patagonia Works, the arrangement worked. But things changed in late 2024 when Wiley began selling Pattie Gonia-branded apparel online, including items with phrases like "Pattie Gonia Hiking Club," and allegedly using versions of Patagonia's logo on merchandise. The lawsuit includes screenshots of gloves and tops worn by the drag queen that Patagonia claims feature imitations of its mountain range branding.
The Trademark Application That Forced Their Hand
The situation escalated in September 2025 when Pattie Gonia filed a trademark application seeking exclusive rights to use the "Pattie Gonia" brand for apparel, environmental advocacy, online marketing, and endorsements. According to Fast Company, Patagonia argues these rights "would directly overlap with the work we do and the products we provide—for which we have longstanding rights and trademark registrations." The company maintains it cannot selectively enforce its trademarks based on whether it agrees with someone's point of view, warning that inconsistent enforcement could prevent it from stopping "the oil and gas lobby, counterfeiters, hate groups, or other bad actors" from using the Patagonia name.
Email exchanges included in the complaint reveal the tension between the parties. Wiley and her business partner responded to Patagonia's concerns by asserting they have "never and will never reference the brand Patagonia's logo or brand," adding there was "plenty of room" for both to "play in this box" and that they "trust Patagonia will stay on their side and we will stay on ours." In what Paste Magazine called one of the funnier responses, Pattie Gonia's team noted that while all shirts sold in their store are made from discarded clothes headed for garbage heaps, "per the brand Patagonia's consideration…we won't save any of the brand Patagonia's product we frequently find heading to landfills."
Who Is Pattie Gonia?
Wyn Wiley, who uses he/they pronouns out of drag and she/they in drag, created the Pattie Gonia persona in October 2018. According to Wikipedia, the first video went viral immediately, gaining more than 100 million views. Since then, Pattie Gonia has become a force in intersectional environmentalism, organizing Pride events at Yosemite National Park, hiking 100 miles in full drag to raise money for outdoor nonprofits, and collaborating with cellist Yo-Yo Ma on a music video filmed at Alaska's Exit Glacier.
The Nebraska native has earned recognition as National Geographic's 2024 Traveler of the Year, a 2023 Time Magazine Next Generation Leader, and was included in Out magazine's 2024 Out100 list. Wiley co-founded The Outdoorist Oath, a nonprofit promoting diversity and environmental education in outdoor spaces, and has partnered with major brands including The North Face, REI, and Backcountry—notably, not Patagonia.
The Legal Landscape of Brand Protection
Trademark law exists to prevent consumer confusion and protect brand identity. Courts typically consider factors like similarity of marks, overlap in goods and services, and evidence of actual confusion when evaluating infringement claims. Patagonia's complaint cites social media comments as evidence of existing confusion, including one that read: "I genuinely thought this was a Patagonia ad for too long... or is it?"
Similar disputes have played out across the fashion and apparel industry. Isabo & Taylor reports that in 2025, Columbia Sportswear sued Columbia University for selling merchandise using "Columbia" alone without qualifiers like "Columbia University"—a case that underscores how even established institutions must navigate trademark coexistence carefully. The key difference: Columbia University and Columbia Sportswear had a formal coexistence agreement that the university allegedly violated, whereas Patagonia and Pattie Gonia's understanding was less formal.
An Uncomfortable Position
The lawsuit places Patagonia in an awkward spot. The company has built its reputation on environmental activism, donating 1% of sales annually to environmental groups and transferring ownership in 2022 to a trust dedicated to addressing climate change. Now it's suing someone whose environmental advocacy work closely aligns with its own values. "We're not against art, creative expression, or commentary about our brand," Patagonia emphasized in its statement. "We want Pattie to have a long and successful career and make progress on issues that matter—but in a way that respects Patagonia's intellectual property."
The nominal $1 damages request suggests Patagonia's primary concern isn't financial. As Inc. notes, the company argues that "the harm Pattie Gonia has caused and will cause to the Patagonia brand is irreparable and cannot be remedied by money damages or other remedies short of an injunction." The case is Patagonia Inc. v. Entrepreneur Enterprises Inc., U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, No. 2:26-cv-00586.
As of press time, Pattie Gonia has not filed a formal response to the lawsuit. The case raises complex questions about where artistic expression ends and commercial infringement begins—and whether two entities fighting for the same environmental goals can coexist under names that sound remarkably similar.
