Under Armour is "hoping to improve its standing among tastemakers with the debut of a high-end clothing line at New York Fashion Week," according to Smith & Germano of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The collection, called Under Armour Sportswear or UAS, is "aimed at what the company describes as 'ambitious millennials.'" UA Senior VP/Sportswear Ben Pruess and collection designer Tim Coppens said that "despite the company’s history as a maker of athletic wear, the UAS line isn’t athleisure." The clothes come with "technical bells and whistles like a rubber finish on the buttons." Other features, like zippers, are "glued rather than stitched, a technique more common in athletic gear than traditional premium fashion lines." While rivals’ runway collections have "leaned more toward streetwear, Under Armour Sportswear focuses on" what Coppens and Pruess "describe as the East Coast young professional look, with trousers, button-downs, and blazers." Pruess said that the collection is "aimed at individuals who are growing out of logo-heavy streetwear into professional attire." The new line "will help the company avoid being considered a midtier brand as it goes forward with a plan to make sports gear available" in Kohl’s. UAS will be "sold at Barneys New York and Mr Porter, the luxury men’s e-tailer, in addition to Under Armour’s stand-alone flagship stores." The clothes will also "sell on a new website for the line." The distribution of the collection will be "limited to the U.S. at first" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/14).
