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Home  >  Fashion Labels and Fashion Brands >  Fashion Label Category C Columbia Founded in 1938, Columbia Sportswear Company has grown from a small family-owned hat distributorship to one of the world's largest outerwear brands and the leading seller of skiwear in the United States. Columbia's extensive product line includes a wide variety of outerwear, sportswear, rugged footwear and accessories. Developing innovative products that are functional yet stylish and offer great value is what we do. At the head of our company are 80 year-old matriarch Gert Boyle, Chairman of the Board, and her son, Tim Boyle, President and CEO. Columbia's history starts with Gert's parents, Paul and Marie Lamfrom, in 1937 when they fled Germany. They bought a small hat distributorship in Portland, Oregon, and named it Columbia Hat Company, after the river bordering the city. Soon frustrated by poor deliveries from suppliers, the Lamfroms decided to start manufacturing products themselves. In 1948, Gert married college sweetheart Neal Boyle, who joined the family business and later took the helm of the growing company. When Neal suddenly died of a heart attack in 1970, Gert enlisted help from Tim, then a college senior. After that it wasn't long before business really started to take off. Columbia was one of the first to make jackets from waterproof/breathable fabric. We introduced the breakthrough technology called the Columbia Interchange System¨ where a shell and liner combine for multiple wearing options. In the early 80s, then 60 year-old Gert began her role as "Mother Boyle" in our successful and popular advertising campaign. In 1998 the company went public, and Columbia moved into a new era as a world leader in the active outdoor apparel industry. Added on: 22-10-2002 Hits: 1106