Under Armour on Monday launched the Curry Brand with NBA star Stephen Curry in a move being compared to Nike’s launch of the Jordan sub-brand in 1997.
The new range launches on CurryBrand.com this week and features footwear and apparel for a number of sports, including basketball and golf. Over time, the brand will be expanded to include running, women’s and other categories. Performance basketball footwear will be available on December 11
Curry, who plays point guard for the Golden State Warriors, signed with Under Armour in 2013.
“We wanted to make sure we did this as close as possible to the NBA season finally launching … and the fact that we’re launching in between Black Friday and the holidays we think is very opportune,” Under Armour CEO Patrik Frisk told CNBC in an interview. “This also gives Stephen something to really engage in … he’ll be actively involved in the development of the product. And we’re so excited to see one of our athletes being so involved in the product.”
In a statement, Under Armour said Curry Brand will be a “purpose-led performance brand with a mission to ensure every young person has equitable access to sport.”
The company noted that it has long been committed to making athletes better, both on and off the court. But in order to be better, athletes need the opportunity in the first place. Currently, only 22 percent of kids growing up in low-income households are participating in youth sports – an issue that Under Armour and Stephen Curry are aiming to impact with the creation of Curry Brand. Because of this, the two are deepening their partnership with a purpose-led performance brand created to provide opportunity and access for the next generation of young athletes worldwide.
“Through the community work I’ve done with Under Armour for over a decade, I’ve learned that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not,” said Stephen Curry. “All of our work together has been dedicated to creating a more equal playing field that closes the gap between those two areas. Through Curry Brand, along with the work of Ayesha and my foundation Eat.Learn.Play., I now have a long term plan to continue to address the barriers to sport that often hinder and limit a child’s potential for greatness.”
Curry Brand will work to provide solutions to ensure every young person has equitable access to sport, focusing on partnerships that will provide opportunity for youth sports in under-resourced communities. This commitment will provide apparel and equipment, create safe places to play while ensuring that all coaches are engaged in professional development.
The Curry Brand is embarking on this journey starting in Oakland by committing to Oakland Unified School District to bring the joy of the game of basketball to each middle school, as well as partner with Positive Coaching Alliance to provide professional development for every youth sports coach in the Oakland Unified School District as well as Oakland Parks, Recreation & Youth Development. As Curry Brand develops its impact model and builds its portfolio of partners, it is committed to helping more than 100,000 young athletes by 2025.
“Now more than ever, sport is an increasingly important aspect of our communities, and the fact that some young people never get the opportunity to participate is a problem,” said Patrik Frisk, CEO of Under Armour. “This problem, however, is something Under Armour and Stephen Curry felt that we could confidently work to solve together, so with our shared values in mind, we created Curry Brand to do just that.”
For more information on Curry Brand, visit currybrand.com and @currybrand on Instagram.
Photo courtesy UA/Steph Curry
