8 months ago
24
Under Armour’s latest product innovation, Neolast, was seven years in the making.
In 2017, the company’s innovation team started developing a material they hoped would be an improvement on spandex, with similar or greater stretch and strength but without spandex’s main flaw: its moisture retention. Kyle Blakely, Under Armour’s svp and head of innovation, said the company sourced the central polymer material from chemical company DuPont, which also invented spandex. That material was then iterated by Under Armour’s innovation team over the last five years until it became Neolast.
Under Armour’s first product made with Neolast — a collection of T-shirts within its training-focused Vanish activewear line — hit its e-commerce site and store shelves on Tuesday. The material will be introduced in more categories this year. Blakely said the team is seeking out many ways to make use of Neolast, with footwear being an area of focus. Neolast products will be priced similarly to their spandex counterparts, with the shirts selling for $40. Under Armour plans to reduce the number of spandex products it sells by 75% by 2030.
Continue reading this article on glossy.co. Sign up for Glossy newsletters to get the latest on the business of beauty, fashion and pop culture.
English (US) ·