Who Makes Under Armour Clothing?
Under Armour is made by Under Armour, Inc. of Baltimore, Maryland. Kevin Plank founded the company in 1996 while a University of Maryland football player.
Quick Answer
Under Armour is made by Under Armour, Inc., a public company headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland and traded on the NYSE under two share classes (UAA and UA). Under Armour was founded in 1996 by Kevin Plank, a former University of Maryland football player.
Under Armour apparel and footwear are manufactured under contract by third party factories, primarily in Jordan, Vietnam, Indonesia, China and Cambodia. Under Armour does not own any of the factories that make its products.
The Parent Company
Under Armour, Inc. is a US public company with about 5 billion dollars in annual revenue. It went public in 2005 and had a period of very rapid growth through the mid 2010s before slowing under new competition from Nike, Adidas and Lululemon in the athletic apparel space.
The company is dual class in structure. Kevin Plank holds Class B super voting shares that give him control of the company even though he no longer holds the largest economic stake.
How Under Armour Started
Kevin Plank founded KP Sports in his grandmother's basement in Washington, DC in 1996 with an idea for a moisture wicking football undershirt. Plank sold the shirts out of his car to college football teams up and down the Eastern Seaboard.
The company rebranded as Under Armour, moved to Baltimore in 1998 and had its breakthrough moment when the movie Any Given Sunday put Under Armour gear on the screen in 1999. Rapid growth through the 2000s made Under Armour one of the fastest growing athletic apparel brands in US history and set up the 2005 IPO.
Under Armour bought MyFitnessPal in 2015 and Endomondo in 2015 to build a connected fitness platform, then divested MyFitnessPal in 2020.
Where Under Armour Is Made
Under Armour publishes a manufacturing disclosure listing every contract factory it uses. As of the most recent disclosure, Jordan is one of the largest single country sources for Under Armour apparel, along with Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Cambodia and Bangladesh.
Under Armour footwear is produced primarily in Vietnam, Indonesia and China at contract factories that also make shoes for Nike and Adidas. Under Armour does not manufacture any footwear or apparel in the United States.
The Baltimore, Maryland headquarters houses design, product development, marketing, retail and executive functions.
How Under Armour Compares To Rivals
Under Armour's main rivals are Nike (much larger), Adidas (also much larger), Lululemon (larger and growing faster in premium), Puma, New Balance and On Running. Its performance apparel is closest positioned to Nike Dri-FIT and Adidas Climalite.
Under Armour has struggled to differentiate its footwear against the incumbents. The brand's strongest categories are training tops, compression apparel, and (in the US) hunting and tactical apparel through the UA Hunt and UA Tactical lines.
How To Trace Any Product Back To Its Manufacturer
- Read the fine print on the label. US and EU packaging law requires either the manufacturer name or a "distributed by" address. That is your starting point.
- Search the company's SEC filings. Public parent companies list subsidiaries and manufacturing sites in their 10-K annual reports.
- Check the regulator establishment number. For food, drugs, cosmetics, cars and appliances, the plant of origin can often be looked up in public regulatory databases.
- Follow the money. Press releases about acquisitions and joint ventures are the fastest way to spot who really controls a brand today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Under Armour an American company? Yes. Under Armour is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland and trades on the NYSE. It has been American owned and operated since it was founded in 1996.
Where is Under Armour made? Under Armour is manufactured by contract factories in Jordan, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Cambodia and Bangladesh, among others. It does not own its factories.
Is Under Armour owned by Nike? No. Under Armour is a fully independent public company. It has never been owned by Nike or any other apparel conglomerate.
Who owns Under Armour? Kevin Plank, the founder, holds Class B super voting shares that give him voting control. The rest of the company is publicly held.
What This Means For The Shopper
Understanding who makes Under Armour today matters for a few practical reasons. First, corporate ownership tells you who is legally responsible for the product and where a customer complaint or warranty claim will actually land. Second, ownership determines the supply chain: a brand owned by a big apparel conglomerate typically pools its fabric sourcing, factory audits and technology development across sibling brands, which is why you often see identical fabrics and construction across labels under the same parent.
Third, ownership tells you which alternatives are essentially the same product at a different price. Contract factories in Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia and China typically make garments for several premium brands at once. That is why you can often find a very similar cut and fabric under a store brand, a smaller premium brand or a licensee at a fraction of the price of the marquee label.
What To Watch Going Forward
Apparel and footwear ownership keeps shifting. Over the past five years alone, several major athletic and outdoor brands have moved between parent companies through spin-offs, sales and joint ventures. Expect more of the same over the next five years as apparel conglomerates rationalize their portfolios and as private equity continues to shape mid cap consumer brands.
If you buy from a particular brand often and care about who profits from your purchase, it is worth checking the sewn in care label every year or two. Country of origin can shift with tariffs and sourcing strategy, and the parent company name in the fine print is the fastest way to spot a change in ownership.
Bottom Line
Under Armour is a Baltimore based US public company. Its clothes and shoes are contract manufactured in Asia and the Middle East, primarily in Jordan and Vietnam. It is fully independent (no Nike or Adidas ownership) and controlled by founder Kevin Plank through a dual class share structure.