Harry Brook
Community Marketing & Impact Coordinator
Start year: 2017
Work location: Manchester, UK
Why do you work for Patagonia?
Traditionally, work is the thing you do to enable you to do the things you love. It’s not that there isn’t any work to be done at Patagonia - far from it - it’s just I’m yet to find the distinction between the work and the things I love.
What is your number one piece of Patagonia gear?
I have a few jackets, bags, and pants with crazy, innovative features that I’d be reluctant to voluntarily part with. However, none of them can do what a floral patterned ‘Go To Shirt’ can. The wildest ‘Go To Shirt’ is a fantastic litmus test when meeting people, with those who give disapproving glances often best approached with caution. It’s also ridiculous comfortable, even when you’re incredibly uncomfortable on a sketchy, run out slab. Like its sister shirt, the ‘Pataloha’, the ‘Go To Shirt’ can be worn for any occasion and looks particularly fetching beneath a tuxedo, à la Yvon Chouinard.
What are you passionate about?
How long have you got? If it involves a sport in a wild place I’ll be there in a heartbeat – just as I will be when that wild place needs protecting. I love to learn, to give space for new voices, and have my opinions challenged as it’s only through discomfort that we extend our comfort zone. You’d best have a cup of tea to hand and find a comfy chair if we end up discussing the impact greater collaboration, intersectionality, and transparency would have upon overcoming the challenges facing our world today. I’m incredibly fortunate to have a job that nourishes my passions, whilst providing me with an opportunity to act upon them in a meaningful way.
What has been your biggest achievement at Patagonia?
This is not my achievement but a collective achievement for the whole Manchester and UK team. It’s very easy for a retail space to become a conveyor belt of transactions, however the Manchester Store is something different. By embracing the concept of ‘retail unusual’, the team has provided a hub for the local grassroots sports and environmental communities, who really show up when it matters. I’m proud to have been a part of the Manchester store team, and continue to be inspired by this commitment to the community. If you want to hear stories that inspire, forge new friendships, and take action to save our home planet, then swing by the store and meet the team.