A new flagship Patagonia store has just arrived in Sanlitun SOHO. Functional threads fill its bottom-floor, semi-subterranean spot. Clothes not only made for traversing trails leading towards hard to get to peaks or summits, but also for exploring these dirty old streets of Beijing in comfort and style. 

There’s a reason fleece is pretty much synonymous with the brand Patagonia. This is because they are the brand that popularized the concept, and made it the softest and most cuddly way to stay warm. How many times have you bundled up with a loved one on the couch wearing your fleece? That kind of softness is addicting, almost like your favorite Hall and Oates song.  

Inside the shop, you’ll find a variety of outdoor wear including jackets, flannel shirts, and hiking gear for children and adults, made specifically for keeping you warm and dry in wild conditions. Unfortunately, many of the products available here are significantly marked up. Probably because the people who would most likely consider a trek in the woods worthwhile could afford it. We saw one fleece priced at RMB 1,450, with the same one being sold by an American online retailer for substantially less than half the price at RMB 739.  

A big thing in deciding whether or not it’s worth paying for the original or waiting until a trip abroad where the original price will be lower is how much use you’ll be getting out of these quality garments. If you need to hike in the rain on a mountain top, where it reaches frigid temperatures, then this outlet will be convenient. Patagonia is as much a fashion statement or status symbol as it is cold weather protection, and as such, the price may not really matter.

Patagonia
Daily 9.30am-9.30pm. B1, Bldg 6, Sanlitun Soho, Chaoyang District  8590 0843
朝阳区三里屯Soho 6号楼商场地下一层B1
500m west of Tuanjiehu (Line 10)

More stories by this author here.

Email: [email protected] 
WeChat: kippwhittaker
Weibo: @KippWhittaker 
Instagram: @KIDDWHIZ
 

Photo: Kipp Whittaker