To provide anglers with high-performance gear featuring advanced technologies for all-day comfort and protection on and off the water.
Columbia Sportswear was born in 1938 when Paul Lamfrom, a Jewish immigrant who fled Nazi Germany with his family, established the Columbia Hat Company in Portland, Oregon. The company was named after the nearby Columbia River. In 1961, Gert Boyle created our first fishing vest — the Henry's Fork Vest — on her home sewing machine after her husband Neal heard customers asking for a more practical design. That vest became an instant bestseller and put us on the map in the outdoor gear industry.
We launched the Performance Fishing Gear (PFG) line in 1996, creating specialized fishing apparel that combined functionality and comfort for water environments. The PFG collection quickly became synonymous with high-performance fishing clothing, featuring our proprietary Omni-Shade and Omni-Freeze ZERO technologies. Today, our iconic Bahama fishing shirt celebrates 30 years, and the PFG line has expanded to include shirts, shorts, footwear, hats, and accessories — all designed with anglers' needs in mind.
Under the leadership of Gert Boyle, known as 'One Tough Mother,' and later her son Tim Boyle, we grew from a regional outerwear maker to a global outdoor brand. The company went public in 1998, and our dedication to innovation continues with technologies recognized by the Skin Cancer Foundation for effective UV protection.
At the core of PFG is Omni-Freeze ZERO sweat-activated cooling technology featuring polymer rings that use sweat energy to actively cool fabric.