On February 20, 1940, Eddie Bauer received Design Patent Number 119,122 for a jacket. Bauer caught hypothermia while fishing in the cold, rainy Washington winter in 1936. After his near death experience, he began attempting to develop alternative outdoor wear.

The wool garments worn by him and other outdoorsmen at the time were very heavy and did little to protect against the rain. Bauer remembered the jacket his uncle, a Russian soldier, had worn. A light but warm goose down filled jacket had help to keep him warm in the below zero temperatures of the Russian winters. Eddie Bauer designed and sewed a quilted goose down jacket for himself. Bauer wore this jacket out into the elements and discovered that it was indeed very warm. His friends began asking him to sew jackets for them too. Continue reading “Making History: Eddie Bauer Patents Weather Resistant Jacket” →