Under Armour Decides To Return To Its Source Under The Influence Of Fanatical Sports And Fashion Trends.

In the past two years, Kevin Plank (Kevin Plank) has often mentioned in public.

We need to make our products more fashionable. "

He said that this is the direction that the brand needs to exert its strength in the future.

Now, Kevin Plank has finally changed his mind.

According to the world clothing and shoe net, Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of the company, said in an interview that after two years of fumbling in sports and leisure frenzy, Under Armour decided to return to its original position and refocus its attention on its functional sports apparel.

Fanatical movement in recent years

Under the influence of the trend, he said that Under Armour had lost its focus.

Although American brands strive to follow the trend of the market, sales of sports and lifestyle products are not satisfactory.

Now, Kevin Plank has made it clear that "

In the gym is more comfortable than at T, "Under Armour will still explore sports, fashion and life fields, but next, the company will put most of its resources on the core business of sports function products.

"If consumers wear our clothes and sit on the sofa, no problem, but the original intention of these products is to help them run 10 miles. Under Armour wants consumers to know who we are," Kevin Plank stressed. "We are a functional sports brand, which is what we have to do and insist on."

According to data from AT Kearney, an industry consulting firm, sales of the global sports casual footwear market are growing at an average annual rate of 2% to 4%, and the growth rate is significantly higher than that of the overall weakening apparel industry.

From T to the streets, more and more young people wear sports shoes and sportswear.

But the market competition is equally fierce, including Nike, Adidas, FILA, Lululemon and professional veteran The North Face, all of which are trying to get sales in sports life.

At the same time, many fast fashion brands have made the market diversified.

Founded in 1996, Under Armour was first known for its professional products of sweat absorbing clothing and sports tights, which had little to do with the fashion life market.

Until 2016, the trend of global sports was rising, and the sports market became more and more lively. Under Armour couldn't sit still.

At that time, Kevin Plank said publicly that he wanted the brand to take up the position in the high-end fashion industry, and claimed that "the sports lifestyle market is the biggest opportunity for the company".

In 2017, Under Armour, which has been the main professional sport, launched the "Lifestyle" life class officially. It tries to test the most popular street craze in modern times, including the introduction of Threadborne Shift shoes that subvert the past styles, and hip-hop singers and other cross-border star platforms.

Also in 2017, Under Armour also recruited Patrik Frisk, the VF group veteran of the Vans brand parent company, as president and chief operating officer of the company, trying to change the brand development style and path.

However, the effectiveness of American brands is very small.

Two years after entering the sports life market, Under Armour always lacks products with innovative design and influence.

Sam Poser, an investment banking analyst at Sterne Agee&Leach, said, "despite the excellent performance of Under Armour on the sports ground, it is not cool enough for young people."

The lack of "retro shoes" is another key factor that plagus Under Armour.

The NPD report shows that as an important branch of sports life, sales of retro sports shoes increased by 30% in 2016, and nearly half of Jordan brand sales came from retro style products.

Embarrassing is that compared with Adidas and Nike and other old brands, the new brand Under Armour has almost no "age sense" sneakers, but can only watch the opponents divide up the cake.

At the same time, the industry pointed out that Under Armour has become too hasty in the younger generation of products, and the time for entering the sports and leisure market is too late.

Kevin Plank admitted that the company had grown too fast and missed its due judgement and attention.

Today, Under Armour is no longer forced.

It is retrieving the original genes of the brand and reestablishing its image in the field of professional sports to provide products for athletes.

It is obviously a pity to abandon the huge market of sports and leisure strategically, but Kevin Plank seems not worried.

He said that the global consumer groups often participate in sports are very large. The industry can generate 92 billion dollars of sales volume every year. "The company has tremendous opportunities in the professional sports market."

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