The History of Under Armour- A Mastermind for Performance Apparel Part 2

Starting Small – Using your Consumers to Fuel your Success

On November 18, 1995 after Plank had created the first prototype he set up shop in his grandmother’s basement in Washington, DC. His first sale was to Georgia Tech University where interest continued to grow. Shortly after, he was supplying performance apparel to more division one football teams and over two dozen National Football Teams. His method for marketing and retaining clients was simple because he believed that if you create product for the people who will appreciate it most, then it will sell. Plank continued to market his products with this concept and further success came quickly.

By 1996, after its first year of success Under Armour developed five product lines that were all derived from the same Microfiber. The main advantages to this fabric were its ability to:

• Wick moisture away from the skin keeping people dry
• Reduce sweat and regulates body temperature due to breathability
• It was light weight and comfortable

Realizing that all of these benefits applied to a variety of consumers he created five product lines targeting a range of activity levels from everyday to the extreme. It proved to be a smart decision for Plank to broaden his marketing efforts because he was so successful that he had to move to a larger facility in South Baltimore and put Under Armour on the map for good.

Opportunities to Last a Lifetime

In 1998 Under Armour became the official supplier of performance apparel to the National Football League Europe and in 1999 Warner Bros. signed on as a client as well. Under Armour apparel supplied clothing for the movie “Any Given Sunday” and “The Replacements”. It was becoming apparent that Under Armour was no longer just associated with sports but all forms of activity.

2000 was the year that Under Armour became a permanent fixture worldwide. They had 8000 official retail locations all over the world and they were continuing to grow to impressive new heights including:

• Major league lacrosse
• Major league Soccer
• National Hockey League
• USA Baseball
• US Ski Team

Between 2000 and 2005 Under Armour was supplying over 100 division 1A football programs and thirty NFL football teams. Each year they were featured in the superbowl in one form or another. Numerous articles and case studies were written with the best being Time magazines feature that titled Under Armour as the one of the fastest growing private companies. Plank was also named businessperson of the year by the Baltimore Business Journal in 1993.

Next: Current Events

Tags: Performance Apparel