Another Note on $UA

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The biggest sector I am looking for UA to evolve is it’s women’s line. I also want to see them improve upon their footwear. Per this article, it looks like that’s the way they are going. Here is an excerpt from an article, it’s from the second and third page, but I recommend reading the entire thing.

 

Fashion Brand

While Under Armour has placed some of its women’s line in department stores such as Macy’s Inc. and Nordstrom Inc., the re-designed store will have as much women’s gear as men’s and may serve as way for potential retail partners and consumers to see Under Armour showcased as a head-to-toe fashion brand that’s more than mock turtlenecks.

“What Gap did for going to school, or going out on a Friday night, is the same thing we should do for sending people to the gym,” Plank says. “Most people look awful going to the gym.”

Leading the evolution of the women’s business is Leanne Fremar, who joined the company in November after a decade as creative director at luxury women’s apparel brand Theory and stints at Gucci and Ralph Lauren Corp. She is working on opening Under Armour’s first New York office, where she’ll tap design talent. She also inherits a unit that has been growing 30 percent a year and added the Studio, a yoga-inspired line, and Armour Bra brands last year.

“She will bring that L.A.-New York component,” said Plank. “Women’s should be larger than men’s.”

Besides appealing to women, the new store design may help Under Armour find its way in two other markets it’s trying to crack: cities and footwear. Selling most of your products at suburban sporting goods stores means being underrepresented in urban markets like New York. And aside from becoming a market leader in a niche category like football cleats, it hasn’t made much headway in athletic shoes. The new store will put the shoes center stage.

This is smart stuff, as @UncleBuccs will tell you, his lady– as well as mine –like the fabric and utility of UA, but think they lack a woman’s touch. Have they found it?

4 Responses to “Another Note on $UA”

  1. Wow. Spot on….this is EXACTLY what they need.

    Forwarding this to Auntie.
    Great find, my man!

  2. Been reading @UncleBuccs & your comments and will definitely put in on my radar & do a little DD.Thanks for ideal.

  3. Rhino – Auntie gave your UA research and analysis a thorough read(enjoyed it), and here is what she had to say.

    Under Armour definitely needs to address their women’s designs, and to think beyond performance. Many women now wear athletic and yoga wear beyond the gym. Quite often because they are performing multiple errands before and after their workout, and sometimes because it’s comfortable, cute, shows off the great figure they’ve worked hard for, and they just want to wear it.

    Furthermore, it’s a mistake for any women’s line to focus on just yoga. LULU really grew when they captured the yoga, pilates & DANCE market. It became unacceptable to show up for auditions in anything else! Even “dance only” brand Danskin has had to diversify and define it’s product with “Active”, “Training” & “Trialthlon” lines.

    UA may want to consider bringing in a “big name designer”. Adidas breathed new life into itself by collaborating with the likes of Stella McCartney, Yohji Yamamoto, and Jeremy Scott.

    Likewise, Nike has collaborated with Jun Takahashi to design the much hyped Gyakusou line.

    Many mainstream fashion designers are realizing this, and beginning to “creep” into the space on their own. Examples can be seen by: MICHI, Alexander Wang, and Ohne Titel.

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