Columbia Sportswear, one of the giants of the outdoor-apparel industry, has purchased yoga and climbing clothing maker PrAna for $190 million. PrAna will join Columbia’s portfolio of brands, which includes Mountain Hardwear, OutDry, Sorel and Montrail.
PrAna will remain headquartered in Carlsbad, California, and it will operate as a subsidiary of Columbia, which is based in Oregon .
The investment from Columbia was a surprise to us. We’ve known people at both brands for years but never associated the two as potential partners.
The acquisition signals confidence in the lifestyle-apparel market focused on climbing and yoga. PrAna — full business name: prAna Living LLC — draws its moniker from an “ancient Sanskrit word for breath, life and vitality of the spirit.”
PrAna’s annual sales are on track to surpass $100 million in 2014. Columbia, which was founded in the 1930s, is pushing nearly $2billion in annual sales. Yoga pants, it now looks, could help stretch the Oregon giant over that financial height. —Sean McCoy
