Clothing Company Definitions — United States clothing company definitions from Apparel Search
Under Armour, NYSE: UA, is a US clothing company best known for its introduction of form-fitting, moisture-wicking performance apparel designed to be worn under sportswear. Founder Kevin Plank was an American football player with the University of Maryland who got tired of having to change out of the sweat-soaked T-shirts he wore under his jersey, so he developed a type of moisture-wicking fabric for athletic performance and founded the company in 1996.
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Founder Kevin Plank was an American football player with the University of Maryland who got tired of having to change out of the sweat-soaked T-shirts he wore under his jersey, so he developed a type of moisture-wicking fabric for athletic performance and founded the company in 1996.
The company has now moved to become a supplier of a much wider range of sportswear and casual apparel. Under Armour began offering footwear in 2006, and continues to expand it offerings to include: football cleat shoes (2006), baseball, lacrosse and softball cleats and slides (2007), training shoes (2008) and performance running shoes (2009).
Many soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan wear Under Armour or similar moisture-wicking clothing for some relief in the hot climate, however parts of the U.S. Military and other NATO forces have banned such clothing in combat situations because polyester fuses to the skin when exposed to flame or intense heat, resulting in severe burns. However, the company lists the The Army and Air Force Exchange Service as one of its big wholesale distributors in its annual report.
On February 15, 2008, Under Armour announced it will become the official kit sponsor of German Bundesliga team Hannover 96 beginning with the 2008-09 season, Under Armour's first kit sponsorship for a professional soccer team. Under Armour also announced it would supply the Wales rugby team's kits starting with the 2008 end-of-year Tests.
Under Armour is the official outfitter for the football programs at Auburn University, University of Delaware, University of Hawaii, University of Maryland, University of North Texas, University of South Carolina, University of South Florida, Southern Illinois University, Texas Tech University, University of New Hampshire and University of Utah.
On September 2, 2008, Under Armour signed a 5-year contract with the University of Maryland, College Park worth $17.5 million, making Under Armour the sole athletic outfitter for all 27 varsity sports at the school. The contract went into effect on January 1, 2009.
The clothing line is also the primary sponsor of the Under Armour All-America Game, an all-star game with the nation's top high-school football players.
On April 29, 2009, the United States Consumer Products Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of all Under Armour brand athletic cups. The cups, which were manufactured in China, may break when struck, posing a risk of serious injury to the athlete. They were sold from January 2006 through March 2009.
The above definition about the clothing company Under Armour is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. The information source is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and was originally obtained from the following page address https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/under_armour. The definition has been modified by the Apparel Search Company in June 2009. The rest of this page and other pages on Apparel Search are NOT under the free document license.
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The Under Armour story starts with a locker-room problem. Kevin Plank played football at the University of Maryland and grew tired of changing out of sweat-soaked cotton T-shirts worn under his jersey, so he developed a moisture-wicking fabric for athletic performance and founded the company in 1996. The first product was form-fitting apparel designed to be worn under sportswear, wicking sweat away from the skin instead of soaking it up. From that single category the company expanded into a much wider range of sportswear and casual apparel.
Footwear followed in 2006 with football cleats, then baseball, lacrosse and softball cleats and slides in 2007, training shoes in 2008 and performance running shoes in 2009. The expansion pattern matters: each new category used the same performance credibility earned in apparel, and each gave the company another reason to appear in team deals. The company's range also reached the military market, where soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan wore moisture-wicking clothing for relief in hot climates - though parts of the US military and other NATO forces banned such clothing in combat because polyester fuses to skin when exposed to flame or intense heat. The Army and Air Force Exchange Service is listed as one of the company's big wholesale distributors in its annual report.
Retail operations began late in 2007 with a first store at Westfield Annapolis in Annapolis, Maryland, followed in May 2008 by a larger 6,000-square-foot store at Westfield Fox Valley in Aurora, Illinois, designed to look like the underbelly of a sports stadium with a tunnel entrance and a ramp up into the store. Further 2008 stores opened in the Natick Collection in Natick, Massachusetts and Westfield Montgomery in Bethesda, Maryland. Sponsorship grew in parallel: Hannover 96 in Germany became Under Armour's first professional soccer kit sponsorship in 2008-09, Wales rugby kits followed, and on September 2, 2008 the company signed a five-year, $17.5 million contract with the University of Maryland, College Park, becoming sole athletic outfitter for all 27 varsity sports from January 1, 2009. The brand also sponsors the Under Armour All-America Game for top high-school football players and uses paid celebrity endorsements it calls spokespeople. On April 29, 2009 the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of Under Armour brand athletic cups, manufactured in China and sold from January 2006 through March 2009, which could break when struck. In 2008 the company won a Billie Award in Breakthrough and Innovation for Boom Boom Tap.
Under Armour introduced form-fitting, moisture-wicking performance apparel designed to be worn under sportswear. Founder Kevin Plank developed the moisture-wicking fabric after tiring of the sweat-soaked T-shirts he wore under his football jersey at the University of Maryland.
Under Armour began offering footwear in 2006, starting with football cleat shoes, then baseball, lacrosse and softball cleats and slides in 2007, training shoes in 2008 and performance running shoes in 2009.
Under Armour became the official kit sponsor of German Bundesliga team Hannover 96 for the 2008-09 season and supplied the Wales rugby team's kits from the 2008 end-of-year Tests. It is the official outfitter for the football programs at Auburn, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, North Texas, South Carolina, South Florida, Southern Illinois, Texas Tech, New Hampshire and Utah.