History of the Under Armor brand
Under Armor is one of the leading manufacturers of sporting goods, do you know the history of this popular brand? It all started in 1996 in the American Washington DC. The founder of the company was Kevin Plank, a former football player and captain of the University of Maryland football team. When he founded the company, he was only 23 years old and started the business from his grandmother's basement. His dissatisfaction with the available sportswear on the market is transformed into a desire to improve and innovate existing products. At that time, the young student had no idea that his products would set trends for athletes.
After graduation, Plank decided to design a cool t-shirt. In 1996, he came up with a prototype t-shirt, as he was dissatisfied with the constantly sweat-soaked sports clothes that did not smell. He was convinced that there was a way to find a better innovative solution to solve this problem and decided to look for the right way. This prototype t-shirt started it all, the t-shirt was soft, tight, flexible and most importantly, it wicks away sweat faster than any other product available on the market. The athlete thus stays cool and dry during performance, and the T-shirt is pleasantly light.
In 1997, it launched T-shirts with the famous HeatGear® technology, which keeps the body cool and dry in hot weather . It also comes with ColdGear® technology, which, on the other hand, warms and keeps the athlete dry and warm in cold conditions. It also features AllSeasonGear®, which keeps athletes going in changing temperature conditions. In 1998, the company moved to new headquarters in Baltimore, MD, the city that Kevin Plank has called home ever since.
In 1999, a big break comes, Under Armor signed a contract to supply products for Oliver Stone's film Any Given Sunday starring Al Pacino and Jamie Foxx. In key scenes of the film, the football team wore Under Armor apparel and accessories, which athletes began to notice on screen. Under Armor became an official supplier of the National Hockey League in 2001 and has licensing agreements with Major League Baseball and USA Baseball along with key retail partners. In 2002, it launched its first line of underwear.
Under Armor went public on November 17, 2005. In 2007, the company's first Under Armor Brand House retail store opened in Annapolis, Maryland. In 2009, the brand begins to take its first steps into the category of runners and launches its first running shoes . Under Armor has experienced tremendous growth in a very short period of time. The Under Armor brand relies on innovative technologies that have been prescribed throughout their relatively short history and it is definitely worth trying some of their products.
