Under Armour (UA) was founded by a then 23-year old football player from the University of Maryland in 1996 named Kevin Plank. Kevin started the company from his grandmother’s basement in Washington, D.C. As a player he became tired of having to change his undershirts which became quickly soaked with perspiration. A revelation he made was that his compression shorts worn during practice remained dry even with heavy sweating. This inspired him to make a t-shirt using moisture-wicking synthetic fabric. After graduating, Plank developed his first prototype of the shirt, which he gave to his Maryland teammates and friends who had gone on to play in the NFL. He soon perfected the design of the shirt which utilized microfibers that quickly wicked …show more content…
In its earlier years UA expanded significantly with new product lines including TurfGear, AllseasonGear, and StreetGear. These launches success helped to catapult UA to the forefront of the emerging performance apparel industry. Their innovation and savvy have given them a leg up on competitors including Nike and Addidas. There have been hints of some new product launches to come in 2017. UA wants to continue to be a competitive player in the health and fitness gadget and wearables market. These gadgets include “Healthbox”, a fitness tracker with a heart-rate strap and smart scale. These devices are intended to be used with their smartphone app, which is also compatible with other fitness tracking devices. Later on, the company added heart rate monitoring headphones to the family of devices, as well as the Speedform Gemini 2 RE smart running shoes which have a built in ability to track your runs (Jovin, 2016). This healthbox product has not received a grand reception from consumers but there is a lot of potential for this product line. For the sake of the report I will research and report on a product line that recently came out. The ColdGear product line. These clothing items claims to disseminate heat by using ceramic powder and re-circulates around the wearers
The fitness clothing market is growing rapidly. Customers’ new found inclination towards living healthier lifestyles has produced an increase in participation of people into various physical activities. Hence, the high levels of competition in the fitness and
company has been in existence for a little over 15 years and has made huge strides in the textile,
a. Under Armour’s approach towards innovation is very unique, they think and plan out their projects thoroughly in order to create a one of a kind product that could be appealing to their consumers. The company has been extremely progressive throughout the years in order to stay ahead of the other competitive companies in their targeted industry. By constantly updating and coming up with different product lines, such as compression shirts and cleats, Under Armour is able to compete with other top athletic wear company’s in their market. If
Under Armour is a great American success story by a young man with the determination to succeed in life. Mr. Plank grew his company by being different and becoming flexible in working in small
In 1995 the then captain of the University of Maryland football team, Kevin Plank came up with a brilliant idea that will revolutionize the athletic apparel industry forever: microfiber T-shirts designed to wick moisture away from the skin. Almost two decades later, Under Armour is a multi billion-dollar athletic apparel market competing directly with industry giants Nike and Adidas.
Under Armour was founded in 1996 by Kevin Plank (Current CEO and Chairman of the company) and became publicly traded on NYSE in 2006. Under Armour’s core products were performance sport apparel, footwear, and accessories. Its main market is North America (95% of its revenue). Now, it is the second largest sports apparel companies in the U.S.
Under Armour is an America sports clothing and accessories Company. It’s a supplier of sportswear and casual apparel. Their headquarters is located in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2015, they had opened their business into worldwide especially in Europe and Asia. Kelvin Plank is the founder of Under Armour in 1996.
Founded in 1996 by University of Maryland graduate Kevin Plank, Under Armour has become the leading supplier of the athletic performance apparel industry. Under Armour began with simple idea to create a t-shirt that would enhance athletic performance by regulating body temperature and removing perspiration
10. Based on a cost of equity of 5.31%, Under Armour created value in 2013 because the ROE (17.4%) is greater than the cost of equity (5.31%).
Be diluted easily. (due to competitive sport industry, the brand can be diluted if stops innovating the products)
The rapid success of Under Armour is not a mistake. The company dominates the performance apparel category. According to Founder Kevin Plank, “The mission of Under Armour is to make technically advanced products that are engineered with superior fabric construction, to provide proven innovation available to the masses-aimed at making athletes perform better” (UnderArmour.com). Under Armour uses many marketing initiatives including athlete endorsement, product placement, and popular culture which illustrates the success of Under Armour.
In 1996, as a football player at the University of Maryland, Kevin Plank grew tired of the cotton t-shirts he was provided becoming soaked with sweat and rain, impeding his ability to move fluidly as a special-teams player for the Terrapin football team. Knowing that cycling outfits and football under shorts were made with a "moisture-wicking synthetic fabric", Plank believed it possible to make a t-shirt out of such material. He observed the content label of his moisture-wicking undershorts and bought the same material from a fabric store, subsequently paying a tailor $460 to sew seven shirts using the fabric. Plank 's and six other teammates wore the shirts in practice and all agreed that Plank was
Under Armour is currently one of the leading companies in the sports apparel industry whose mission is to “Make all athletes better through passion, science, and the relentless pursuit of innovation”.1 When Under Armour first broke into the sports apparel industry it was a disruptive pioneer that initially made the two giants, Nike and Adidas, a little weary. Under Armour revolutionized the sports apparel industry by creating apparel that used synthetic materials as an alternative to natural fibers, such as cotton, or other materials, such as polyester. This all-important switch to these materials resulted in a 2“shirt that provided compression and wicked perspiration off your skin rather than absorb it. A
Under Armour, Inc. is an American sports clothing and Accessories Company. The company is a supplier of sportswear and casual apparel. Under Armour began offering footwear in 2006.
Under Armour was created in 1996 by Kevin Plank, which first developed breathable, wicking materials to replace sweaty cotton found in the shirts worn under football pads. The brand was initially built on a tough-guy and a football image. Under Armour 's first major sale came, when an equipment manager from Georgia Tech requested 10 shirts from Plank. This deal opened the door to a contract with Arizona State University, North Carolina State and other Division I football teams. With positive reviews from players, word began to spread and orders began to increase (wikipedia.org). Under Armour has made a big name for its self since that time, and it has risen to the number 2 spot in the U.S. sportswear market (darden.virginia.edu).