The origins

Manifattura Colombo is synonymous with snow, mountains, and winter sports, but also with clothing for the beach, city, and leisure. The collections combine experience with the ability to remain constantly fresh in order to anticipate market trends. Mario Colombo’s passion dates back to 1923, when he decided to found the factory that still bears his name in Monza.

The story begins with a packet of cigarettes on which the company founder passed around a few ideas for the company name among his friends. They settled on a combination of three letters from his first name and three from his last: Colmar. As skiing was starting to gain popularity in the mountains, Colmar began manufacturing felt hats in Monza. It then moved on to breeches and work clothes. Small groups of pioneers were taking to the slopes.

They called them “skiatori”, insisting on the ‘k’ – a letter not found in the Italian alphabet.

The 30′s

Colmar began producing a few garments that could work for skiing, along with its main business at the time, which was work clothes. They were made of pure decatized cotton treated with chemical agents to make them resistant to washing and non-shrink.

Big snow competitions began to take shape: after Kandahar came Hahnenkamm in Kitzbühel and Lauberhorn in Wengen, which are still the two major ski events. Then came the Speed Skiing race. In ’31, Leo Gasperl won, with 136.6 km/h. Colmar made the “Thirring” for him: a cape that inflates on the skiers back, resembling a hang glider.

The 40′s

Angelo and Giancarlo, Mario’s sons, joined the factory, and with them the company’s vocation for the mountain began to grow. Their ideas and determination gave rise to new insights and innovative proposals in fabrics. This flirtation with snow blossomed into love with the arrival of the “Olimpionica”, the original wind breaker: made of waterproof poplin, it has a large pouch pocket, ample cape-like arms, and a hood. Colmar’s Olimpionica sold like hot cakes, and a number of variations followed. Its success lay in its meticulous tailoring.

Meanwhile the first prototypes of safety bindings appeared. Colmar encountered a symbol of Italian sports: Zeno Colò.

The 50′s

New models were cut on Colò’s sturdy shoulders, accompanying him in many of his triumphs. But the biggest event, as always, was the Olympics in ’52 in Oslo. Colmar invented something entirely new for him: a very close-fitting nylon sheath with sides and elbows in bi-elastic tulle. This was the very first aerodynamic ski clothing.

Zeno dominated the freestyle downhill and the sheath became the best-selling snow garment. It was truly exceptional: in fact, with a number of updates, it remained in production until 1972. Colmar was also focusing on ski trousers. At the time, fashion demanded they had to be very taut with uncomfortable and bothersome elasticated cuffs. The solution was Colmar’s heel reinforcement that wrapped around the back of the foot, sewn to the trouser leg with ultra-flat stitching. Over time it was eventually made of bi-elastic tulle.

The 60′s

After the Olympics in Cortina and Squaw Valley, skis were being made with a “sandwich” structure (using multiple layers of wood), and Colmar introduced down parkas and ski trousers with elasticized bands on the sides. One of the great admirers of ultra-thermal down parkas was Toni Sailor, the winner of every gold alpine skiing medal at Cortina. In Monza an innovative fabric called “Supercolmar” was launched, designed for skiing. In the ’60s the Italians stalled for a time. The entire Italian team wore Colmar.

In the equipment area the big boom had arrived. The first synthetic materials hit the scene, as well as plastic boots and lighter skis, while new materials and padding improved clothing quality. Wind trousers, shaped belts at the waist, and pressure die-cast fasteners for boot bindings all made an appearance.

These were areas where Colmar made huge contributions, such as with “Thermospeed”: a close-fitting and tight fabric that acts like a second skin, paired with a layer of polyurethane foam. And with special Colmar bibs, Luigi Di Marco beat the Speed Skiing record in Cervina, at over 174 km/h.

The 70′s

The ’70s belonged to the Italian Avalanche: Thoeni, Schmalzl, Gros, Radici, Stricker, and De Chiesa with racing uniforms that were the envy of all. Skiing became the sport of the day and Colmar climbed the podium with the Italian champions at the Olympics in Sapporo and Innsbruck and the World Championships in St. Moritz. Research moved forward even faster, focusing on materials, lines and the small details. To win the race by just hundredths of a second, race models were taken to wind tunnels at Fiat and Moto Guzzi, while fibres were tested in collaboration with the Polytechnic in Milan. The sheath for the Giant Slalom was a real beauty, Stricker called it “la ceffa”, and the name stuck. Reversible parkas arrived, and down parkas came back in vogue as lines started expanding to create more comfortable clothing. Ski jeans and vests were among the newcomers.

Skiwear made enormous progress in terms of heat retention and comfort. Advertisements used the famous slogan: In case of snow, Colmar. In November 1978 a magazine was published for the first time: “In caso di neve” (In case of snow), with six issues a year. It was delivered to thousands of skiers chosen at the numerous Colmar Shows, a show that travelled to major Italian ski resorts.

The 80′s

The factory welcomed the third generation, Mario, Giulio, and Carlo. Their chromosomes pulsed with a passion for sport and skiing and they instantly passed this passion on to their children. Snow is a real friend of the family. Colmar’s ski gear wardrobe next produced the exuberance of the “Spacerace” line, and designed an incredible multipurpose jacket, calling it “Bormio” in honour of the ’85 World Championships. Valtellina became Colmar City for the occasion.

That same year also saw the arrival of the new brand. But the Italians were not turning in extraordinary results. The next big thing didn’t come along until ’87, with Crans Montana and the World Championships. In the Giant Slalom, a young man from Bologna snatched bronze: his name was Alberto Tomba. The end of the decade sizzled with his dazzling accomplishments. He won the gold at the Olympics three times: in the giant slalom and slalom in Calgary, and giant slalom again in Albertville ’92.

The 90′s

The “Technologic” line was the star. The name stressed Colmar’s new focus on staying ahead of the times, with skiwear that made innovative use of materials and technical solutions. The advertising confirmed that anywhere there’s snow, Colmar is centre stage. While equipment witnessed the advent of carvers, Colmar was experimenting with new microfibers, carbon and steel threads, stain-resistant finishes, and latest-generation waterproof and breathable fabrics.

The Colombo Factory introduced the Ten Yards brand, dedicated to sportswear for leisure time. With this line, urban life and travel moved forward shoulder to shoulder with mountains and the snow. Colmar made its foray into summer wear with swimsuits, T-shirts, robes and clothing perfect for holidays. Colmar introduced the “Techlab” skiwear line featuring the first smart fabrics such as ComforTemp, which absorbs body heat then returns it when necessary.

The website “www.colmar.it” was launched: a point of reference for thousands of Internet users.

The noughties

Colmar is the main sponsor for the Alpine Ski World Cup and is involved in various promotional activities, as a supplier for organization committees in Alta Badia, Val Gardena, Cortina, and prestigious ski schools. The company also gives special attention to the youngest category of skiers, helping promote the “Trofeo Topolino” and “Pinocchio on Skis” competitions. The brand also participates in two of the top fairs: Ispo Winter (Munich) and Prowinter (Bolzano).

Colmar successfully continues its business in the world of snow sports and, thanks to its commitment to research, it is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-tech, high-performance, ultra-light sportswear items.

As for the sector of skiing, Colmar has been the official clothing supplier since 2008 for Team GB, the coolest team on the circuit of top skiing events, captained by the talented and upbeat Chemmy Alcott. Since 2010, Colmar has also been the official supplier for the Croatian national ski team and has stood by Ivica Kostelic, the team’s most popular champion, to revel in his history-making season studded with the World Cup Overall and two event cups (slalom and super combi), along with a bronze medal at the Garmisch-Partenkirchen World Championships.

Today