We’re all back from Christmas break. Students are donning their new gear, and if you’ve happened to notice the fancy new pullovers with a pocket on the front, you’re not alone. Those pullovers, made by a clothing company by the name of Patagonia, are coincidentally known as “Patagonias.”

Throughout Elder, there are some major Patagonia enthusiasts–possibly one of the most passionate being senior Mitchell Westerkamp. Mitchell claims to own a total of four between himself and his brother. When asked why he liked them so much, Mitchell’s response was “I think the jacket looks really good, it keeps me warm so that’s cool, too.”

Patagonia was founded in 1973, and their signature fleece “Snap-T” pullover was introduced in 1994. The Snap-T got its name because of the snap buttons that go up the collar of the fleece, allowing people to snap their collar rather than button it. Snap T’s currently run at a market minimum of $99. I personally own a snap tee, and I’ve been pretty pleased with it throughout the Winter. Here are some images of some popular Snap-T’s:

As you can see, Patagonia offers a number of different patterns on their Snap T’s. On the Patagonia shop’s website, they’re listed to have 30+ different designs.

Another big time Patagonia enthusiast is Mike “Scoops” Groh. When he’s not dishing out over-priced ice cream at Graeter’s, you know this kid’s wearing some Patagonia. I recently spoke with Groh about his Snap T’s, and he told me he currently owns two, but that he’s more of a Polo kind of guy.

I recently sat down win freshman “Vineyard Vines Award-winner” Jack Wertz to ask him if he’d ever consider leaving his coveted Vineyard Vines for Patagonia. Jack’s response was “No. Absolutely not. Never.” Well alrighty then, frat lord.

Overall, it looks like this Patagonia trend is here to stay. Its Snap T is a one-of-kind product, and those kinds of products tend to stand the test of time.

Here’s a link to the Patagonia website.