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...equally muscular business: over the past five years, the company's comfy, moisture-wicking shirts and shorts have helped it grow at a blistering 65% annual rate. Under Armour, which had $640 million in sales over the past year, had been scoring on the stock market too, making Plank's shares worth some $1 billion at the peak. But as Plank prepares to move the Under Armour brand out of its comfort zone into the cutthroat, $18.3 billion athletic-footwear market, he is exposing Under Armour's house to a tornado...

Author: /time Magazine | Title: Under Armour's Big Step Up | 5/15/2008 | See Source »

...would Under Armour risk the punishment? The company's apparel business is solid--up 37% in 2007--so Under Armour certainly doesn't need to jump into a new category to grow. "Maybe I'm a little naive as we approach the footwear market," says Plank, a former University of Maryland football player who started the company in his grandmother's basement more than a decade ago. "Maybe we don't recognize the fact that we're walking on a tightrope on the 55th floor. But the fact of the matter is, it feels right. And that's what brands...

Author: /time Magazine | Title: Under Armour's Big Step Up | 5/15/2008 | See Source »

Throughout Under Armour's history, Plank has relished fighting the doubters. It's in his DNA: when describing his playing style at Maryland, the 5-ft. 11-in., 210-lb. (1.8 m, 95 kg) walk-on says, "I put my head down and hit you. That was my gig." He still has a locker-room mouth--"We give a s___ about what we do every day"--and rarely minces words. "What makes Under Armour special is the fact that we don't make a bunch of crap for the mass market," he says...

Author: /time Magazine | Title: Under Armour's Big Step Up | 5/15/2008 | See Source »

...strategist, though, Plank is more brains than brash. Many analysts admire his approach to expanding his brand. Under Armour could have jumped right into one of the two biggest sports-footwear categories--running and basketball--to try to steal share from Nike, Adidas and other Bigfeet. Instead, the company chose a more disciplined approach. Under Armour tested the footwear landscape about two years ago, when it started making American-football cleats. Selling soccer shoes against Adidas and Nike would have been suicidal. Football is a small, specialized market--about $250 million in the U.S. "Our No. 1 goal was authenticating...

Author: /time Magazine | Title: Under Armour's Big Step Up | 5/15/2008 | See Source »

...make more lateral moves in their drills. "The shoe becomes a piece of equipment," insists Raphael Peck, Under Armour's senior vice president and shoe guru. But will young athletes really spend $100 for a shoe to lift weights in? "They're spending $40 on a T shirt," quips Plank, nodding to the premium price that consumers are paying for Under Armour's sweat-sopping gear...

Author: /time Magazine | Title: Under Armour's Big Step Up | 5/15/2008 | See Source »

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