
4. Under Armor
Kevin Plank, the creator of Under Armor, was only 24 when he designed and created his first sample of the sportswear. Kevin, a former football player, found it too uncomfortable to take off his t-shirt drenched in sweat underneath his team jersey. He observed that his shorts, which he used to put on during practice, stayed thoroughly dry.
The hygroscopic quality of the compression shorts motivated him to create a t-shirt prototype from moisture-wicking fabric. After Kevin earned his graduate degree from the University of Maryland, he produced the original specimen. He made the breakthrough in the basement of his grandmother’s home in Washington, DC. He gave away the first few shirts he had made to his friends and teammates who went on to play in the NFL wearing the moisture-wicking tees.
Initially, Plank traveled across the East Coast to promote and establish his sportswear brand. He clenched his debut deal towards the close of 1996 worth $17,000, and there was no looking back. Within a few months, he moved out of the Washington basement and shifted to Baltimore, Maryland, which continues to be Under Armor’s headquarters.
Under Armor also makes sports accessories such as protective kit, caps, gloves, bags, and much more. Under Armor’s revenues totaled $5.22 billion. The company’s market cap was worth more than $10.7 billion in 2018.