Columbia

Columbia stands for Heritage Wear

When it comes to stylish heritage wear, there is no way around the American company Columbia. Based in Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, the Americans have been proving since 1938 that style and function are not contradictions. Legendary innovations such as the 3-in-1 Powder Keg Interchange Jacket are experiencing a revival in times of retro trends and are popular styles among winter sports and outdoor fans.

The history of Columbia

The Columbia Sportswear Company was for decades led by the recently deceased Gert Boyle . Gertrude Lammfromm, as her maiden name was called, fled with her family from Augsburg in Bavaria to the United States of America in 1937. There her father founded the Columbia Hat Company. With her husband Neal Boyle, Gert later took over the company.As the range of products developed over the years more and more towards sports & outdoor clothing, the Columbia Hat Company became the Columbia Sportswear Company .

The "Tough Mother"

After the sudden death of her husband, Gert, as a single mother of three children, took over the sole management of the company. She shaped the brand into the world market leader for outdoor clothing, snow and streetwear. The commercials of the "Tough Mother", as Gert is affectionately known, show her and her eldest son Tim, who runs the company today. With their unbeatable wit and a lot of humour they quickly achieved cult status. Today Columbia continues to produce its products, from snowwear to outdoor clothing and streetwear, according to the motto: It's perfect - now make it better.

Columbia ICONS: Heritage Styles with that little extra

Icon - this is the term for something that embodies certain values or a certain attitude towards life. So in a way, the name ICONS was obvious for Columbia's streetwear collection, because it expresses everything the company stands for: decades of expertise in the production of snow and streetwear as well as high-quality technologies, all developed by Columbia itself. The design of the new ICONS collection picks up on the originals and is taken from catalogues, sketches and images from Columbia's archives from past decades.

When you say warm, you mean Columbia

Columbia has made a name for itself with its various different technologies. One of them celebrates its 10th anniversary in winter 2020: OMNI-HEATTM. The principle is as simple as it is ingenious: a reflective layer on the inside of the products reflects the radiated body heat. This creates an unbeatable feeling of warmth even on the most adverse winter days. The characteristic look also contributes to the unique Columbia style.

Winter sports without Columbia athletes - unthinkable

With Sarah Hoefflin, Cassie Sharpe and Alex Ferreira, Columbia has three top-class freestyle artists under contract. With them, Columbia has already made it to the Olympic podium.

Columbia shows responsibility

"Doing the right thing" is one of the central tenets of Columbia. In a changing world, the continuity of principles of action is all the more important. Columbia is therefore not only committed to the preservation of unique natural sites, but is also active in the fight against racism, for example through donations or the promotion of educational activities. Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle puts it this way: "We work every day to give people their own personal outdoor experience. But one thing is clear: The best equipment is worthless if you don't feel safe outdoors." Columbia can be proud of what it has already achieved - and will continue to work to get better and better. Just like Gert Boyle would have said: It's perfect, now make it better.