Under Armor is an American brand that has become a leader in the sportswear sector and a pioneer in the world of performance apparel, the category which includes those products which, during training and in competition, allow you to improve your performance through quality of fabrics, technological innovation and wearability. Under Armor products, therefore, have become a must first in the world of American football, then in the world of fitness, and finally in basketball and football. In fact, the technology that characterizes the vast assortment of the men's line is complex, but the benefits offered are clear: the HeatGear collection designed to keep you cool and light, ColdGear to stay warm and dry, finally AllSeasonGear for comfort and freedom of movement. Other must-haves of the brand are the sports bras and leggings from the women's collection, designed to allow total comfort which is essential in sport.
Under Armor was born from the idea of creating a superior level t-shirt; a t-shirt able to offer a high compression effect by transporting sweat to the outside rather than absorbing it and which worked together with the body regulating the temperature to improve its performance. Under Armor's mission is to make all athletes better through passion, design and the relentless pursuit of innovation. The garments are designed down to the smallest detail to follow the body by wrapping it but at the same time leaving it free in all the movements necessary in competitive activity, thus giving the athlete a product that cannot be "felt" in the movements but which wraps it perfectly.
Under Armor was founded on September 25, 1996 in Baltimore by Kevin Plank, a former football player at the University of Maryland. Playing at the fullback position, Plank couldn't fathom how there wasn't a way to avoid changing out of sweat-soaked shirts during every practice. Realizing that the compression pants he wore during training remained sweat-free, he began to produce synthetic fiber T-shirts focusing on technological development, without paying particular attention to aesthetics. The goal was in fact to create something high-performance and usable at maximum physical effort with extreme comfort. The real business began in the mid-90s, reaching its first peak in 2006. The brand even shows for the first time at New York Fashion Week, on September 15, 2016. More than twenty years after its birth Under Armor controls 75% of the football clothing market and is also famous for its basketball shoes whose main testimonial is none other than Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, winners of the last two NBA championships. Among others, it also boasts as sponsors the Scottish tennis player Andy Murray, winner of two Wimbledon tournaments and the first in history to win the gold medal for two consecutive Olympics, and the American swimmer Michael Phelps, the sportsman with the most gold medals in the Olympic history.