Page 56 - DWV PROMO BOOK

Fishing Fashion

We were approached by Columbia Sportswear to create a new brand for them. They wanted to enter the fishing clothing market
and they had some basic ideas of what they wanted to make. They knew I was a dedicated saltwater fly-fishing nut and they’d seen
the fishing clothing I’d created for Pheasant Hill in Turkey. Our job was to create the brand for Columbia; the name, the logo, the
image. We got down to work and I’m proud to say we created a brand and logo that has become iconic, as it’s been the market
leader in a now very full segment of the fishing industry. But it wasn’t always smooth sailing during the program. As we put the
finishing touches on our design work, it became clear that there was a faction in the Columbia sales department that didn’t believe
selling fishing clothing made any sense. My contact at Columbia shared the details of what was turning into a nightmare. Their
lead sales guy was convincing management that selling fishing clothing was idiotic. Suddenly, my job became defender of the brand.

I had to advocate for the impact that this collection could have for Columbia’s business. At the same time, our project expanded
into revising the designs of the actual clothing. And as they say, the rest is history. Columbia’s PFG (Performance Fishing Gear)
product line is ubiquitous and has been the biggest selling product line in the fishing industry for the past 30 years! – DW

1992 • Columbia Performance Fishing Gear • PFG • Top selling fishing and travel clothing for 25 years • Design and brand created by DWV
®