Gert Boyle, the chair of Columbia Sportswear has died. She was 95 years old.
As a spunky plus sized person, she advocated plus sized clothing for the outdoor gear industry,
She will also be remembered for being the “one tough mother” in the Columbia advertisements.
I didn’t know about her — what a fascinating woman! Thanks for sharing Cindy.
What a remarkable businesswoman!
As a PNW native, I have been fortunate to visit the Columbia stores and follow the evolvement of this outdoor clothing company. Even though she advocated plus sized clothing I was able to find size 2 pants called "Just Right." Yes, Gert will be remembered for her humor, quality gear and "one tough mother." The commercials always made me smile. She will be missed.
She was a force of nature here and everyone in Portland has a Gert Boyle story. Loved her!
Even though she advocated plus sized clothing I was able to find size 2 pants called "Just Right."
Yes, she realized that women came in all sizes and shapes, not just tall slender athletic cut. Liz Robbins (wife of Royal Robbins) was another advocate of differing clothing cuts.
For the guys - the hip to waist differential is different for different cuts. Curvy cut usually has a hip to waist differential of 10” where modern cut has a hip to waist differential of 5”. Athletic (and other) women come in both shapes. Another aspect is the short/regular/long concept of pants.
Cindy, yes I recall that foiled kidnapping story!
“One tough mother” says it all. Loved her! She was quite a gal.
I didn't knew about her, thanks for sharing Cindy! What an interesting business woman.
Wow, now I wanna get some Columbia gear!
I missed this entire phenomenon I am sorry to say. She sounds formidable.
Gert Boyle was truly a force of nature. She definitely was one of my all-time idols.
Doing the right thing. The apple dons't fall far from the tree.
https://www.columbiasportswearcompany.com/Corporate-Responsibility-Group
"One of our core values is to do the right thing, not just for our
company, but also for our consumers, customers, employees and their
communities. Here at Columbia, our entire 81-year history has been
driven by a deep commitment to the people and families who live, work
and play in the communities where we operate and to the scarce
resources that we all have a responsibility to steward effectively."– Tim Boyle, CEO
https://www.columbia.com/responsible-practices/
As an outdoor company, we make every effort to respect and preserve
natural resources. Our goal is to limit our impact on the communities
we touch while sustaining the land we love.We have a responsibility to know where our products are coming from,
what they are made of and the conditions of the places where they are
made to ensure compliant, responsible conditions across the supply
chain and safe products.
She seemed like a woman I would like to have known.
