Under Armour Acquires Sustainable Fashion Brand, Announces C-Suite Shakeup

Under Armour, Inc. is appointing Eric Liedtke as executive vice president of brand strategy following the completion of its acquisition of Unless Collective, Inc., a zero-plastic regenerative fashion brand. The transaction is expected to be completed later this week. After a 26-year career at Adidas Group, culminating in roles as brand president and executive board member from 2014 to 2019, Liedtke and industry executives from Adidas, Quicksilver, and R/GA set out in 2020 to found Unless and pioneer a better way for the industry to prove that plants could replace plastics in the creation of apparel and footwear. In other changes, Under Armour Chief Consumer Officer Jim Dausch is leaving the company at the end of August "to pursue other opportunities," according to an SEC filing.

Total Retail's Take: More movement in the executive ranks at Under Armour. This is not an uncommon occurrence for the Baltimore-based retail organization, which has seen a number of executives join and leave the company in recent years. In March, Under Armour Founder Kevin Plank retook the CEO role a little more than one year after Stephanie Linnartz was appointed to the position. Plank noted at that time in a call with analysts that "ongoing turnover of critical leadership has been central to our inability to stay agile and decisive."

Separately, Under Armour is making a strategic acquisition in the sustainable fashion sector with its purchase of Unless Collective. Under Armour gains a foothold in the growing sustainable fashion market while also adding to its executive talent by bringing an industry veteran in Eric Liedtke on board. We'll see if these latest moves provide some stability at the top of the organization and help position it for future growth.