Video: Columbia Turns Its Clothing Labels into Tools

Odds are, one of the first things you do after buying new clothes is taking off the new tags and throwing them in the trash. Columbia, however, wants that to be the last thing you do—because their labels may actually save your life. According to Gizmodo, and a video recently posted on Vimeo, the outdoor and sportswear company is turning its clothing tags into stainless-steel tools that range from a sextant, a handsaw, a water purifier, fishing set, and more.

Columbia has yet to confirm the new “Survival Labels” through any official channels, and little is known about when or where these new tools will pop up in the U.S. However, many fans say they anticipate the new added value. Columbia is not the first company to offer these handy, pocket-sized tools, either. Many others, such as Gerber’s Bear Grylls Card Tool, and the Readyman Wilderness Survival Card, also took advantage of a wallet-optimized shape to store survival tools in. The efficiency of these card tools is often debated, but there’s no question that they are better than nothing.

For Columbia, it may be more than just a marketing ploy. Instead, the Survival Labels may be another extension of the company’s passion for the outdoors, and its philosophy for providing the best for its customers.

Columbia Survival Labels from Selim Ünlüsoy on Vimeo.

Daniel Xu

I'm the knife nut that everybody is ashamed to know. My love of sharp things extends to all kinds of edged weapons, be they small, large or on a stick.