prAna, an ancient Sanskrit word for breath, life and vitality of the spirit, has helped guide our actions and lift our aspirations since day one.

We started in 1992 making clothing that worked well for climbing and yoga. It turned out that the clothing worked well for lots of other passions too, so we added new products with “purpose” in mind and scoured the world for design inspiration.

We cut and sewed clothing in our garage and shipped it to customers in surplus fruit boxes gathered from the local grocery store. For hangtags, we ground up old newspapers, added essential oils and cut out the handmade paper with a pizza cutter. Our first employee slept on a hinged bed that turned into a shipping table by day.

What’s changed since then?

Not much – and a lot. We’ve grown a bunch, but most of our original employees are still here. We participate in business with like-minded folks who want to promote conservation and create positive change, which reflects the same intention as the old days, just taken up a few notches. Organic cotton, fair trade and wind power initiatives are on the short list of what we support.

We are inspired by athletes like climber Chris Sharma – who’s been with us from the beginning – and yoginis like Shiva Rea. These friends, and many of our customers, help inform our designs and keep us legit. Which is why our founder, Beaver Theodosakis, still answers customers’ letters.

Looking back, we think that the name prAna fits us pretty well. Looking ahead (because we love change), we’re excited to see what the future holds.