Footwear Insight

12 • Footwear Insight ~ January/February 2024 footwearinsight.com By Tom Ryan S peaking in mid-January at the NRF 2024: Retail's Big Show, Stephanie Linnartz, Under Armour's CEO, elaborated on the brand's athlete-led approach to reach consumers' needs across performance, style and sustainability. In an interview with Under Armour am- bassador and WNBA player Diamond Miller, Linnartz said working with athletes has been the "coolest" part of her job since taking over as CEO in February 2023 following a 25-year career at Marriot. "It's working closely with our athletes to meet their needs, whether that's looking good, feeling good or performing well," said Linnartz. "And then we're going to be able to appeal to a broader consumer base. We are all athletes in some way, shape or form - whether you're a professional athlete or not." She said Under Armour's "muse" is 16-to- 24-year-old team sport athletes and many of the brand's innovations are inspired by conversations with athletes. She called out the success of the Curry 11 footwear range that features UA Flow cushioning system that's helping the brand's star athlete, Steph Curry, reduce the time spent icing his knees post-game. A segmented plate for stability offers more flexibility forefoot to support speed. "We need to do a better job telling our in- novation story at Under Armour," admitted Linnartz. "We have hundreds of patents for solutions that make athletes lives better." Noting the company's internal mantra rings, "Without beauty, there is no performance," Linnartz said Under Armour also continues to invest in adding style to its range through key hires. Among the hires, Yassine Saidi is joining Under Armour as chief product officer, effective Jan. 29. Saidi most recently oversaw his own design consultancy, but his 20-year career also includes stints at Adidas and Puma. Linnartz said, "At Puma, he actually led their lifestyle work." Another key hire last fall was John Varvatos, the acclaimed men's wear designer, as head of design as part of a broader push to work with more fashion designers. Linnartz pointed out that the tracker pants she was wearing at the event were designed by Los Angeles-based celebrity tailor Rich Fresh for the women's Notre Dame/South Carolina basketball game held in Paris last year. Linnartz stated, "We're really upping our game on the style front." Finally, a focus in design remains around sustainability. Under Armour recently intro- duced a new fiber, Neolast, to support its goal of eliminating 75 percent of spandex across products by 2023. Neolast shares similar stretch properties but is recyclable, unlike spandex. Also in development is low-fiber shedding materials to minimize the fibers that get into the water and the environment during washing. "e overall idea is how can we create ap- parel and footwear that's recyclable as part of our whole circularity agenda," said Linnartz. "We also know when we're appealing to young consumers, style, innovation, sustainability and performance are all important. So, we are laser focused on being a good citizen of this earth." Addressing several questions around wom- en's sports, Linnartz described 2023 as a "pivotal moment for women's sports," citing the record 92,000 spectators at the women's Nebraska vs Omaha college volleyball match, as well as record viewership levels for the women's NCAA March Madness basketball tournament and women's soccer. Linnartz said more progress must be made around "the business of women's sports," in- cluding media coverage and marketing dollars. However, she also noted that one in three girls are dropping out of sports in their late teen years due to body image and other issues versus only one in ten of boys. She noted that while many girls aren't likely to become professional athletes, sports have been shown to instill the confidence to tackle other pursuits. "You can be a CEO. You can be a doctor. You can be a government leader," said Linnartz. "You can be whatever you decide to do with your life, but sports can give you that confidence. So, I'm just passionate about getting more young girls to stay in sports." Asked about her own success breaking barriers as one of the few women to lead a major sports brand, Linnartz was optimistic that progress is being made, citing Lauren Hobart at Dick's Sporting Goods and Mary Dillon at Foot Locker as examples. She said, "e world is changing and that's good to see." Asked what career advice she has for young girls around career development, Linnartz said, "e advice I always give to young women is take a risk. Take that job or that challenge that no one else wants to take. Don't be afraid to do something different." n Under Armour's CEO Touts "Athlete First" Commitment EXEC INSIGHT THE FOOTWEAR EYE Stephanie Linnartz Photo: Jason Dixson

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