Armoured Strike Force

The story of Under Armour and what sets it apart from the competition.

- Lionel Kong

Despite being one of the youngest sports brands on the international scene, Under Armour has made an authoritative ascent to become one of the most recognized labels in the world. How did the American brand that first started with the manufacture of a sweat-wicking undershirt come to become one of the most popular sports labels in the world and Singapore?

Under Armour had its start in 1996, when Kevin Plank, a 23-year-old former University of Maryland special teams captain, decided to come up with something better than the cotton T-shirts footballers wore under their jerseys. These were always sweat soaked, uncomfortable, and clammy after a game.

Plank named his new company Under Armour, and after extensive research on the athletic benefits of synthetic fabrics, he designed the first Under Armour HeatGear T-shirt, which he named the #0037. Engineered with moisture-wicking performance fibers, the shirt was designed to help keep athletes cool, dry and light in the most brutally hot conditions. The brand then moved to new headquarters and a warehouse in Baltimore, MD, where it remains to this day.