Columbia Watertight II Rain Jacket

Brand Origin and History

Columbia Sportswear was founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, originally starting as the Columbia Hat Company, named after the nearby Columbia River. Founded by Paul and Marie Lamfrom, who had fled Nazi Germany, the business transitioned over the decades from a small family-owned hat distributorship to an internationally recognized outdoor apparel and footwear brand, popularized notably under the leadership of Gert Boyle.

Ownership

Columbia Sportswear Company (NASDAQ: COLM) remains an independent, publicly traded American corporation headquartered in Portland, Oregon. The company oversees its namesake Columbia brand alongside other outdoor and active lifestyle brands such as Mountain Hardwear, SOREL, and prAna.

Manufacturing

Like many global apparel and outerwear manufacturers, Columbia sources and manufactures its clothing across a global supply chain network primarily located in Asian countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, China, and India.