Columbia was founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, as a small hat company, and takes its name from the river that runs through the Pacific Northwest. It was started by Paul Lamfrom, a German immigrant who had arrived in the United States fleeing Nazi Europe, and who found his testing ground in a region of rain, forests and constant humidity. For decades the brand’s identity was built there, on the idea that a garment should first be functional and only then be beautiful.
The turning point came in 1970, when Lamfrom died and the company passed to his daughter Gert Boyle, a housewife with no management experience who suddenly found herself running a business on the verge of bankruptcy. She would turn it into a giant, with an advertising campaign that became legendary in the Eighties, in which she presented herself as “One Tough Mother” and put the products through ever harsher tests. Modular systems such as the Interchange, the jacket that breaks down into several layers, followed, along with a long series of proprietary technologies that over the years became Columbia’s mother tongue.
Although the mountains have always been its strong suit, it can’t be said that the city never entered the picture. Its jackets were walking urban streets years ago, worn by people who didn’t want to give up comfort and functionality in everyday life.
That’s why today, at a time when outdoor aesthetics have become a real must, Columbia has decided to take a step that feels almost natural: designing from scratch a collection made for the urban environment.
This is how Street Tech was born, a line that starts from the technologies at the heart of the brand’s heritage and rewrites them through contemporary volumes and proportions. The water repellency of Omni-Shield™, the breathable waterproofing of Omni-Tech™, the insulation of Thermarator™ and the moisture management of Omni-Wick™ remain the same. What changes is the setting they are placed in.
The piece that best tells the story of the project is the St/rmwall™ Balaclava Puffer, an ultralight ripstop puffer jacket with a balaclava built directly into the collar. A purely functional detail, the extra protection against the cold, which ends up becoming the graphic signature of the whole garment. Even more technical is the Striker 3L Waterproof, which brings the three-layer construction of Omni-Tech™ and the experience gained in the mountains into the urban realm, without hiding it under an overly decorative look.
The rest of the collection works on the more tactile, everyday side. The Mou/tain™ Fleece, available as a hoodie or a full zip, has a long pile and an almost sculptural presence that turns a classic of the outdoor world into an everyday piece. The Cargo Jogger in stretch fabric combines a relaxed fit with cargo details and an Omni-Shield™ treatment, while the Heavyweight Graphic Hoodie, in 450 g/m² cotton, and the Graphic Tee share the same visual language in two different weights, designed with layering in mind. Closing the line is the Jacquard Skull Beanie with an Omni-Wick™ microfleece lining, a small accessory that brings technical expertise down to the detail.
It remains to be seen how well Street Tech will stand out in an increasingly crowded territory, where almost every outdoor brand has already tried to talk about the city. Columbia’s strength, perhaps, is precisely its history, because unlike others it doesn’t have to build technical credibility and can simply change its shape a little.
