The Ethics Of The Sports Apparel Industry

Under Armour’s rapid rise in the sports apparel industry under its founder and CEO Kevin Plank has surprised many. Plank has turned a company that he started in his grandmother’s basement into a powerful opposing force to Nike. The company’s competitive advantage comes through its focus on performance, and its products have been well received by athletes. The company currently enjoys a strong position as professional athletes and movie and video game creators clamor for its products.

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

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, an American based apparel company was developed by Kevin Plank in 1995. As team captain on Maryland’s football team, Plank realized that there was a need for performance wear in the world of sport and so the story goes. Plank has developed a multi-billion dollar company in the past two decades with high expectations for the future. Under Amour has signed with some of the greatest of the greats as it relates to the world of sport such as Cam Newton, Steph Curry, Tom Brady and Lindsey Vonn to name a few.

Under Armour’s business strategy towards market segmentation is broken down into three different basis; Age, Gender, Uses. The first major market segmentation is by age, different age groups demand different products and Under Armour has produced certain merchandise to appeal to each generation. The second is Gender, both male and female respectively make up roughly 50% of the market equally.To appeal to females UA produces apparel in brighter colo, as a fashion forward athletic wear. While for males they they cater toward masculine vibe of tight fitting and resistant to wear and tear. Lastly, UA segments by the range of uses for their products.

Under Armour, a publicly traded company, was founded in 1996 by its CEO, Kevin Plank. Plank attended the University of Maryland where he played football. He was tired of having to change his cotton shirts over and over again when the football team had multiple practices a day, so he came up with a solution for the cotton shirts. This solution would re-design athletic apparel for the market. Plank designed a t-shirt that was, according to Under Armour (Under Armour), “…engineered with moisture-wicking performance fibers.” This design would help keep athletes cool, dry, and light while training and competing in the heat. Plank started selling his design from the trunk of his car as he drove up and down the East Coast, and his sales sky-rocketed

Under Armour was founded in 1996 by a former collegiate football player named Kevin Plank. Plank first developed the idea for this brand through his own personal need and desire, as a collegiate athlete at the University of Maryland, for a product that didn’t exist in the market at the time. Since its inception, Under Armour has continued to grow immensely and expand upon its continued success. However, Under Armour still has a lot more room to grow and a lot of potential within their industry. Perhaps their biggest strategic issue right now is that they rely too heavily on North America for their business. They have done very well from themselves in North America so far. Now is the time for them to leave their comfort zone within North America

Under Armour does have resource strengths in product design and technology innovation know-how was it crucial for Under Armour sales growth and meet customers’ expectation. Customers are curious about all types of new invention release out of someone knowledge, ideas and Under Armour has developed something useful for sports to encounter these weather related. The Under Armour differentiates their product design to regulate body temperature and enhance comfort, mobility, and performance in any type of weather condition. Apparently, it makes them unique characteristic. Under Amrour typically outsourcing the specialty fabric production to meet the specifications and managing their time for company research and development.

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 is a widely known and financially successful corporation in today’s athletic apparel and performance industry; however nineteen years ago it all began with one man’s vivid idea. Kevin Plank, a young aspiring athlete and special team’s captain for the University of Maryland football team, was the first in 1996 to formulize an idea with purpose to provide athletes with a shirt to fit their workout and game needs. As any athlete knows cotton is not the best choice for vigorous activity since this fabric does not dry quickly. This notion is what catapulted Plank’s idea. He put his ideas into motion by creating a blend of fabrics that worked best for the comfort of athletes as this was his main goal. Plank named his company Under Armour and based it upon one shirt that he advertised as “a tight fitting, moisture wicking t-shirt that supports your muscles and regulates your body temperature” (Under Armour, Inc.). He worked determinedly out of his car and his

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

Under Armour is a product line based company. Under Armour sells sports clothing and Accessories Company. The company is a supplier of a wide range of sportswear and casual apparel mainly focusing on hi-tech sportswear for professional athletes. The products of Under Armour Performance Apparel have become the top choice of athletes around the world to wear under their uniforms or during workouts. It all began with college football player Kevin Plank, who designed a T-shirt to draw sweat away from the body and into a lightweight microfiber fabric. Though moisture-wicking fabric was not a new concept, Plank's lingerie-feeling garments became a sensation when they kept football players at the University of Maryland, Georgia

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.

Plank’s emphasis to create a brand that attracted athletes was working and less than five years after its inception, Under Armour was now partnering with Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. Their growth would continue at a rapid pace as

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