Bad Idea #2: Making clothes out of toilet seat covers
The first Patagonia fleece was destined to be a toilet seat cover.
Or a bath mat. Or maybe both.
Either way, not the inspirational leaping-off point we usually think of for iconic fashion pieces.
In the early ‘80s, Patagonia was on the hunt for a miracle material. Something lighter than wool, warm when wet (a little gross but ok), and tough enough to survive mountain sports.
The odd solution? A synthetic pile fabric used for toilet seat covers (I promise this is a true story). The first version they found “looked bad and smelled bad but was water-phobic and therefore had promise.” This quote also somehow perfectly describes my childhood dog, Bruce.
The final fabric was cheap, insulating, and machine-washable. But no one in their right mind was wearing it outdoors. There weren’t influencers back then who could trick us into thinking it was cool to wear toilet seat covers. So they had to make it look cool, or at least wearable. The material ticked every other box, so Patagonia said yes to the mess (sorry, had to).
They dyed it blazing blue, trimmed the fluff down, and cut it into a simple zip-up. People at the time recall it still “looked wrong,” like a worn out plush toy.
Most retailers passed. One called it the ugliest thing they'd ever seen (another unexpected parallel to my dog Bruce).
But Patagonia’s bet wasn’t on aesthetics. It was all about function.
They’d field-tested it. It wicked moisture. It kept warm. It weighed almost nothing. And climbers and skiers (who cared more about survival and comfort than style) started to fall for it.
Slowly, the fleece caught on. Then took off.
That fuzzy fabric that nobody wanted became the prototype for a whole new category: technical fleece. The global fleece jacket and vest market grew to $6 billion in 2024. Today, there’s one in almost every closet.
Don’t dismiss an idea just because it looks like a mess. Ugly can often be unproven in disguise.
Art/Social/Ad
New ideas are born from brushing up against life, a process I call happy collisions. Here are a few pieces of inspiration to keep the ideas flowing: one piece of ART, one SOCIAL post, and one AD (or a bit of clever marketing).
ART
Hand Study “Selenelion” by Kathrin Marchenko — Ukrainian textile artist who stitches colorful yarn into transparent tulle canvases, creating intricate 3D-effect artworks that appear to float midair, sometimes giving the illusion of designs embroidered directly onto walls.
SOCIAL
Threads post by Joe Dator — One of those profound thoughts you think is dumb at first, but is actually genius. No notes
AD
CaraVe Creator Ad by Audrey Trullinger — CeraVe’s Michael Cera campaign gives creators a lot to play with by making the brand the punchline and the hype. Audrey runs with it with this deadpan ode while dropping real product info and defending her Michael Cera t-shirt.