I’m sure
@Rellyrell knows the details better but I remember reading and article about UA’s failing a while back and their biggest issue was they didn’t account for street wear making such a comeback. Adidas has always been popular with the “non athletic shoe” sneakers and Nike’s throwbacks are pretty much just for style now. Under Armor was stuck making shoes you’d only wear on the basketball court
U r correct, my man. Adidas lifestyle wear took off; caught Nike w a crazy right hook too. The difference between Nike & UA was sustained reputation as a brand leader, & leadership at the top. Adidas was known for being apart of the community with collabs Run DMC, and their shell toes were infamous. Nike was always connected to the biggest, most popular athletes. Once Adidas reorganized itself, and got back to the lifestyle arena, namely Kanye West, they took off. Nike took a step back, and did the same thing, except their athletes’ shoes also became a lifestyle. So not only did they collab w actors & entertainers, but their athletes became lifestyles in their own right.
Then there’s UA, who was still holding on to an outdated concept, and refused to pivot. Steph Curry’s brand in itself was OK, but truth be told, a lot of ppl stop rocking w Steph, not b/c of him, but b/c ppl were annoyed w his wife. Shoot, til this day, she’s being considered one of the most annoying & hypocritical beings. UA tried to promote the family angle, that backfired like crazy, and they had an inability to create a lifestyle line for Steph (actually they looked like nursing home shoes). That, along w/ an inability to connect with stars to promote their product (yes, the Rock is a big part of UA, but he’s on the fitness side, not lifestyle), along w their basketball shoes receiving poor performance ratings = collapse in market & profits.
Nike tried to buy UA about 10 yrs ago & was going to keep Plank at CEO of the UA brand, & Plank bet on himself. Hindsight is 20/20, but I look at how Converse has significantly grown since Nike took over or how Reebok has been rebooted since Adidas took over. It might not have been a bad idea for Plank to have taken that deal, b/c his vision was short sighted, w/ the inability to account for changing markets. Adidas been around forever, Nike been around for 50 yrs. They’ve both seen it all. UA & Plank have not & it may be too late for a recovery.
