How Kevin Plank Built His Under Armour Sportswear Apparel

Kevin Plank, the Chairperson and CEO of Under Armour Sportswear firm is an outstanding entrepreneur. By going by the principle of building what he knows, Kevin has made one of the most reputable apparel companies in the sports industry. At only 24 years, Plank put into practice his dream of starting a sportswear company that would revolutionize the industry.

 

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This is my list. We must all LEAD and come together (in our strategy) to mitigate and defeat the virus. Do your part and help others understand what must be done. We will get THROUGH this. #flattenthecurve #theonlywayisthrough #towit #protectthishouse #wewill #repost

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By extension, Kevin Plank designed T-shirts that would wick sweat from the body, an initiative he planned during his college days. Kevin and his fellow teammates faced a significant challenge of soaking in sweat in the field because of the cotton T-shirts that they wore underneath the shoulders pads. He was one of the football players of Maryland University in the early 90s. Besides, the undergarment made athletes wet even in the cold season.

Swapping new T-shirts contributed to time wastage but no remedy because the same trend continued to the end of the game. Although Kevin Plank had started a flower delivery venture for extra earning, he vowed to diversify his business in the sportswear industry. The idea came after realizing that his shorts didn’t drench in sweat like the T-shirts after a football practice session, therefore the synthetic material would produce good T-shirts.

Immediately after graduation, Kevin Plank designed his first skin-tight elastic garments that couldn’t soak in sweat but instead wicked it away from the body. The microfibers helped the garments in leaving the players light, dry, and relaxed. Kevin started Under Armour Company in his grandmother’s basement and targeted his former teammates as the first potential customers.

On the other hand, Kevin leveraged the feedback from the customers in making the products better. After one year in the business, he expanded its operation to the production of ColdGear, HeatGear, and AllSeason Gear lines. By extension, Plank wanted to produce products that would serve the athletes regardless of the weather condition.

Kevin Plank improved his marketing strategies by involving big players, including ISBN magazine. Today, the company he started with an initial saving of $20,000, and a credit card debt of $40,000 makes an annual revenue of $1.83 billion in sales. Additionally, the company has employed approximately 5,900 individuals making it a credible economic hub.