Collection: Columbia

The Columbia Brand Story

Columbia has been one of the world’s most trusted outdoor labels for decades, offering superb value and dependable quality across the entire product range.

Founded in 1937 by the Lammfromms – a family of German-Jewish refugees who resettled in Portland, Oregon – it’s a brand that has some true get-up-and-go heritage behind it, and we love that here at Urban Industry.

The Columbia name comes from the eponymous river, which is the largest in the USA’s Pacific Northwest region. The business started out as a hat company, before expanding into fishing vests and other clothing items from 1960 onwards. In 1970, the Lammfromms’ daughter, Gert Boyle, became president of the company at the age of 46, and got to work in future-proofing the Columbia brand.

Famously, Columbia became the first brand to use Gore-Tex as a jacket fabric in 1975, pioneering a material preference that is stronger than ever today.

Our range of Columbia clothing and accessories has everything from jackets to fleeces and sweatshirts, t-shirts, caps and more – always with a focus on simple designs and mostly earthy colourways that will look as good in 20 years as they do right now. The Helvetia Fleece is a particularly popular choice due to its cosy insulation, as well as the Ampli-Dry Shell Jacket for guaranteed waterproof protection.

Check out our Columbia Sale page for great deals on discounted products at unbeatable prices.

If you have any questions about stock (present or future), hit us up on live chat or send us an email – we’ll be happy to assist you in any way we can.