Columbia Sportswear 1998 Annual Report Download - page 4

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He also understood the importance of selling more than one prod-
uct, and it’s a good thing he did. In the 1960s, when people started
dressing more casually, Columbia Hat Company had already
become Columbia Sportswear Company and was offering not just
hats, but gloves, jackets, fishing vests, and more.
Over the years, our niche in the apparel industry broadened, as we
created innovative, high-quality active outdoor apparel and
footwear for all kinds of people. We accomplished this while main-
taining our original commitment to producing high quality gar-
ments at affordable prices. For example, our footwear collection
began with a one-style experiment: the Bugaboot®
. Careful design
and development made this boot a hit, prompting us to expand the
footwear category and offer a full line of multi-seasonal, multi-use
footwear for the entire family.
The Columbia brand represents a differentiated active, outdoor,
authentic, value-oriented and distinctly American image, and we
design our products to reinforce this vision. In both the design
and production phases, we focus our efforts on the development of
popular, higher volume products at moderate price points. The
merchandise, which is durable and functional, incorporates useful
technical details such as parkas that have pockets that double
as vents, footwear that incorporates our waterproof/breathable
membrane and sportswear that is made from a variety of quick-dry
fabrics. This attention to technical detail derives from Columbia’s
extensive experience producing specialized hunting and fishing
apparel and contributes to the authenticity and functionality of our
entire selection of merchandise.
In Oregon, leisurewear has never been anything but outdoor wear.
German immigrant Paul Lamfrom caught onto this pretty
quickly, selling his fellow Oregonians the kind of clothing that
real outdoors-people would wear.
long
before the
leisure suit
The Columbia brand represents an active, outdoor, authentic, value-oriented and distinctly
American image, and we design our products to reinforce this vision.
THE PRODUCT MIX