Yahoo Finance Under Armour announces Stephen Curry brand to compete with Nike's Jordan Brand
Stephen Curry has been an Under Armour athlete since 2013, and now they’re taking their relationship to the next level. Curry and Under Armour announced the launch of the Curry Brand on Monday, a new sportswear line that Under Armour hopes will compete with Nike’s enormously successful Jordan Brand.
“This is an opportunity to put a true investment around the purpose that I’ve been living out since I’ve been in the league, to elevate the relationship I have with Under Armour and to make this as authentic to me as possible,” Curry told Footwear News.
Curry is actively involved in product development
Curry is taking a big role in his new brand, and is actively involved in product development. When it launches on Dec. 1, it will initially feature men’s athletic performance wear for basketball and golf, two sports that are obviously close to Curry’s heart. Curry’s latest shoe, the court-ready Curry 8, will launch on CurryBrand.com on Dec. 11, and he’s pretty psyched about it.
“It’s the first true innovation story. It’s something I’ve never worn before,” Curry said in an interview with Footwear News. “It’s one of those experiences you have to put on your foot and find out [why it’s special]. It’s got technology and innovation that I’m excited for people to learn about.”
The plan is to eventually expand into running wear and clothes for women, but not right away. Curry wants to be deliberate about how new products are introduced.
“When it comes to golf and running and training, those are part of my life in an extreme way,” Curry said via Footwear News. “But you’ve got to be strategic about how you roll out these categories. You don’t want to just take a fire hose from out the gate, but we are planting our flag and saying this is what we want to do, this is where we’re going and there will be amazing moments throughout this first year.”
More than a clothing brand
The Curry Brand’s business may be performance athletic wear, but it has a larger purpose than that. Part of the brand’s mission is to use some of the profits to provide kids more access to sports and teach them the benefits of participation.
Starting in Oakland, California, the Curry Brand will work with the Oakland Unified School District to launch basketball at each middle school, and it will also partner with a nonprofit organization, Positive Coaching Alliance, to bring professional coaching to all of the youth sports coaches in the area.
Curry told Footwear News that in the coming year he plans to create three safe spaces for kids to play, but that his goal is to create 25 safe play spaces in the next five years. This program will support approximately 8,000 middle school students.
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