Posted by Kirsten on 2022 Oct 24th

Brand Feature: Cotopaxi

Despite its unique beginnings in 2014 as a brand that got it’s popularity from two Llamas off of Craiglist and a slew of selfies on social media, Cotopaxi is committed to way more than trending online.

Pronounced Koh-toh-PAHK-see, the brand was named after a mountain in Ecuador that founder, Davis Smith, spent much of his childhood around. After other successful entrepreneurial endeavours, Davis Smith set out on a new venture to create a business with a social impact. He came up with the idea for Cotopaxi as his answer to fight extreme poverty in the Americas.

Smith grew up moving around Central America and South America where he saw first hand “hardship that stems from unequal access to opportunity.” Today, Cotopaxi is B Corp Certified and an optimistic company dedicated to ‘Do Good’ in the world. They create sustainably designed outdoor gear and dedicate one percent of their revenue to nonprofits.

In 2021, 94 percent of products sold were made with ‘remnant, recycled or responsible made material’ - and their goal is 100 percent in 2022. Their first priority is to 'do good' and they do so by making really good outdoor gear.

Their Del Día collection is especially unique. Each item is one-of-a-kind as they are made completely from repurposed fabrics and the sewers have full control over the funky colour combinations. They utilize materials leftover from other outdoor brands who share their factories. This makes for some distinctive items and does a lot of good for the environment by keeping the excess materials out of landfills.

They fabricate fun, quirky, eye-catching pieces that are also durable and ethically made. As they say: it's “Products that last - and have a lasting impact”. We are on board with that which is why we chose to carry Cotopaxi at River & Trail.