Under Armour is launching an offshoot brand for their biggest star athlete: Stephen Curry.
What We Know:
- Under Armour announced the launch of Curry Brand on Monday. Steph Curry and Under Armour have a longstanding relationship and he is their most visible and popular athlete.
- The new line will feature athletic apparel for a number of sports, mainly basketball and golf. Curry Brand’s first basketball sneakers will be available starting December 11. Curry has said that playing multiple sports growing up was a big part of his development.
“I always played other sports, got exposed to a lot of different skill sets and people, and that was big in my development. I feel like whatever a kid is interested in, we want to be able to present an opportunity to kind of live that out. We are going to start with basketball, and we want to make sure we have the product, programming and the arenas they would be able to go to and participate and hopefully scale out and brand out from there.” – Steph Curry
- Under Armour hopes that Curry Brand will help them reach younger consumers like their competitor Nike. According to Piper Sandler’s biannual survey, Nike is far and away the favorite apparel brand for teens whereas Under Armour is on the “no longer worn” list.
- Curry Brand will act similar to Nike’s relationship with the Jordan Brand. Michael Jordan was the face of the NBA and Nike for a long time and Jordan Brand has become one of the most iconic brands of all time. Under Armour is hoping that Curry’s status as one of the best and most popular players in the NBA will help the brand grow.
- Curry has played his entire career with the Golden State Warriors and is largely recognized as the greatest shooter of all time and one of the best players ever. He is a two-time league-MVP and three-time NBA Champion. He will also be the highest-paid player in the NBA this season, slated to earn just over $43 million for 2020-2021.
The Curry Brand will also partner with the Oakland Unified School District and Positive Coaching Alliance to improve youth access to sports, particularly in lower-income communities.
