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DRESSED To Impress
 Football Businesssits down with Raphael Peck, Vice President, Product Creation and Merchandising Manager of innovative performance apparel manufacturers Under Armour
Sportsmen and women will strive endlessly to fine-tune their performance, continually searching to round corners and shave fractions in pursuit of success. The performance apparel market’s impact on those margins has come to the fore in recent years with those who look beyond the generic basics of strength, precision, mindset and sports equipment, strongly enhancing their chances of success.
Can Under Armour really make a significant difference to performance?
Definitely. The core DNA characteristics – such as moisture transport, strategic ventilation, UPF and odour control – help an athlete stay cool, dry and comfortable. This is because a lighter weight compression product, such as Under Armour, allows for faster movement and less muscle fatigue, resulting in more energy being retained for those closing periods of the game when it really counts. Three words describe the core benefits of Under Armour’s performance apparel: lighter, faster and dryer. What’s important for us is to deliver a product that will enable an athlete (be they novice or professional) to perform better and longer at higher levels.
What specific qualities have Under Armour brought to the football industry?
Our football product delivers the characteristics that Under Armour is synonymous for, including moisture-management. We’ve taken the basic products and made them more lightweight in order to keep a football player dry in training and during the game. When you parallel our compression product with our football sportswear and training gear, you now have a unique positioning in the category, and something that sets us apart from all others in the market. Our unique HeatGear® and ColdGear® lines give football players the best performance gear possible to help them get through the hottest and coldest weeks of training and matchday.
How do these products fit into the global football market?
Currently the football category is very price-driven and fashion-sensitive. We want to increase the expectations of our consumers who are looking and willing to pay for quality, performance products. This is all about looking to appeal to the performance requirements of the sport by educating football consumers on what they need for matchday. Athletes need products that will make them feel lighter, dryer and faster. Under Armour provides this through unique HeatGear® and ColdGear® lines of compression base layers that reduce muscle fatigue and reduce injury through temperature regulation. |
Download Article How do you ensure best practice in performance enhancing apparel?
The Under Armour brand stays committed to its core values, never sacrificing its integrity in regard to performance. It’s our Universal Guarantee of Performance; a durable product that performs at an ideal level and enhances on-field performance for an athlete on all playing levels. Through our performance wear tests, we’re able to continually improve on these requirements and that’s what makes us significant.
Do you feel there is scope to launch a football-specific range?
The fit between Under Armour and the football category is perfect. We are a team sports company with global appeal rooted in performance. Using our core product DNA and expanding on our HeatGear® and ColdGear® lines, we’ve built versatile, football-specific products that address the performance requirements of footballers whether they are running around at pace or remaining stationary. Our on-field compression uniforms are lighter, faster and dryer, with stretch ventilation and moisture-management, and our compression base layers feature a ColdGear® top and bottom with strategic ventilation so athletes stay warm, dry and comfortable.
How do you see the future direction of performance apparel in general?
We spend a significant amount of time in the marketplace studying trends, conducting focus groups and collecting information from players/teams through our relationships with global collegiate football clubs, like the English Premier League. Through these authentic relationships, Under Armour creates a product that best addresses the needs of athletes around the world. We then use this as our platform for the apparel we’ll introduce to the football community delivering always on our Universal Guarantee of Performance wherever the product or the sportsperson is; it’s truly a global effort. |
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