It was nearly 50 years ago that Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard was in Scotland on a climbing trip when he purchased a rugby shirt to wear while rock climbing. He was attracted by the garment's intrinsic properties—namely, fabric and construction tough enough for the rough and tumble game of rugby—and hypothesized that it would translate remarkably well to climbing. He was right.
The fabric made to handle scrum and tackle held up against constant scraping against rock walls, and the shirt's sturdy collar kept a heavy sling loaded with various hardware off the neck. Soon after the trip, rugby shirts made their way into the catalogs of The Great Pacific Iron Works and laid the foundation for Patagonia itself.
Now, newly launched brand Withernot aims to bring the once ubiquitous shirt back to the outdoors.