He attended Pomona College, then studied art at the Otis art Institute and illustration under Pruett Carter at Chouinard.

In business, Mr Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, an outdoor-clothing firm, says he believes that well-treated employees perform better.

Mr Chouinard argues that making a firm's social mission explicit in its legal structure makes it harder for a new boss or owner to abandon it.