Premium American sporting brand Under Armour is determined to conquer the hearts of Filipino athletes.
Just months after it opened the first store in Bonifacio Global City (Taguig)—and the first in Southeast Asia—it opened another one at SM Megamall.
The star-studded launch saw celebrities from different fields of show business and sports, battle it out in an endurance game held at the mall’s activity center. This is to showcase the durability and flexibility of Under Armour apparel in any condition or any type of physical activity.
“The Philippines is a key market for us,” said Adrian Chai, chief marketing officer of Triple Pte. Ltd., the exclusive distributor of Under Armour in SEA. “ As soon as we launched it here, we had a great reception among consumers.”
“The opening of the second store almost immediately after the first is a natural step for the brand’s expansion in the country,” said Carlos Maza, senior director, New Markets of Under Armour, who flew in specially to grace the event.
Under Armour is known for its performance footwear and innovative apparels and accessories.
Chai pointed out the brand’s “no insole” footwear, which is perfect for runners.
“The construction is seamless,” explained Angelica Suiza, co-founder of Triple Pte. Ltd. “You can’t touch a stitch inside. It’s a one-piece fully molded footwear.”
Under Armour’s footwear is also noticeably lighter compared with other brands and this is attributed to this technology.
The collection featured at the new branch includes technological innovations such as HeatGear Sonic, HeatGear Flyweight, Coldblack, Coldgear, UA Storm, UA Tech, and Compression. Other technical apparel available is HeatGear ArmourVent, a new training apparel technology platform present in men’s and women’s wear. The UA Studio and UA StudioKux lines are designed for athletic females.
Chai also noted that Under Armour’s T-shirts dry three times faster than other brands. They also have the anti-odor apparels specially geared toward athletes or sport enthusiast who are faced with this problem.
“The Compression shirts hug nicely to the body allowing athletes to move freely,” Suiza said.
Suiza added that the US-based company has a couple of collaborations with several sporting institutions as far as apparel is concerned in developing new technologies.
From left to right:
Mr. Benson Lim – Grupo Athletica official, Mr. Michael ‘Lazer’ Reyes – MMA fighter, Mr. Benito Lim – Grupo Athletica official, Mr. Ivan Yao – Grup Athletica official, David Mckenzie – US Olympian for Volleyball (in light blue Under Armour shirt), Ms. Angelica Suiza – Chief Product Officer/E-Commerce Officer, Triple Pte. Ltd., Mr. Adrian Chai – Chief Marketing Officer, Triple Pte.Ltd., Vice Mayor Francis Zamora (in Under Armour Superman shirt), Mr. Carlos Maza – Under Armour Managing Director for International New Market, Mr. Brandon Vera – MMA fighter for ONE FC, Mr. Emerson Yao – Grupo Athletica official, Mr. Steven Tan – Senior Vice President, Mall Operations – SM Supermalls, Mr. Vohne Yao – Grupo Athletica official
“Whatever materials we use, it’s gonna last,” Chai assured consumers. “It’s gonna maintain its shape.”
“We respect athletes at all levels,” said Maza. “We want to empower them with providing them with needs in terms of the sports they play or physical activities that they do.”
“It’s really resonating that young market and we’re giving that edge to the athletes. To help them be better at all levels, from amateur to competitive sports,” he added.
Under Armour commissioned young athletes and celebrities to be its brand ambassadors, which include Ateneo volleyball star Gretchen Ho, TV host Robbie Domingo, and captain of women’s national football team Natasha Alquiros. Present at the launch was mixed martial arts star Brandon Vera resonating the brand’s promise of durability.
“The brand resonates strongly with young generation,” Suiza said. “There is always the desire to look and feel good.”
“Brands are something that are felt,” Maza explained. “ We want to make sure that people feel our brand. We want to make sure that the Filipinos fall in love with our brand. I think that’s what distinguishes us from the rest.”
“The idea is to think local and act local for an international brand,” he added.
Under Armour counts North America as its biggest market so far. But making a splash in Southeast Asia is a move to capture a much bigger slice of the growing sporting and fitness industries..
Under Armour is looking at opening a few more stores in the Philippines in the next few years. It has opened in Singapore and Suiza said a branch in Kuala Lumpur is “coming very soon.”
The branch at SM Megamall was secured by local retailer GrupoAthletica. (advt)