Under Armour Named FN’s 2015 Brand Of The Year

Under Armour is making a return appearance at the “Shoe Oscars” next month, as Footwear News has named the Baltimore-based athletic label Brand of the Year.

After Kevin Plank, Under Armour’s founder and CEO, was honored in 2014 as Person of the Year, the brand will once again be recognized at the FN Achievement Awards for its stellar streak of wins.

Plank has dubbed 2015 the “Year of the Champion” for Under Armour, and his proclamation has merit. Over the course of 2015, its most renowned sponsored athletes have reached the pinnacle of their respective sports, from Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors being named NBA MVP and leading his team to a championship title to Jordan Spieth winning a pair of majors and holding the No. 1 spot in the world golf rankings.

Then there was the breakout Curry One sneaker, the first signature style for the superstar guard, which UA created in several different iterations. Each time, it flew off shelves just as quickly as it appeared.

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Under Armour Stephen Curry — https://footwearnews.com/t/stephen-curry/"; id="auto-tag_stephen-curry" data-tag="stephen-curry" >Stephen Curry in Under Armour’s latest marketing campaign, “Rule Yourself.”

CREDIT: Courtesy of brand.

Financially speaking, Under Armour has been scoring its own victories, reaching its first $1 billion quarter in Q3. Plank also set some lofty goals for the firm, stating at its investor day in September that Under Armour is shooting for $7.5 billion in revenue by 2018, which would be a 25 percent annual growth rate.

The 29th annual FN Achievement Awards have recognized the biggest names in the shoe business, from Christian Louboutin and Nike to Manolo Blahnik, Adidas and Prada. Past winners of the Brand of the Year award have included Vans, Vince Camuto, Brooks Sports, Birkenstock and Toms Shoes.