Under Armour (UA) recently lost its top designer, Dave Dombrow, to one of its greatest rival, Nike. According to several industry sources, Dombrow's Nike employment is part of the company's strategic marketing plan as UA continues to gain power in the footwear business.
For five years, Dave Dombrow, who recently held the Senior Vice President of Design position, has overseen all footwear and accessory design at Under Armour. According to Nice Kicks, Dombrow also led the company's statement level projects such as NBA MVP Stephen Curry and NFL MVP Cam Newton's signature products, as well as supervising launches for the Charge RC, Spine and Speedform technology.
Dombrow, who actually started his first design jobs at Nike, has also worked with Swoosh and Puma before taking a position at Under Armour. And as he returns to Nike, Dombrow will sit out for a full year due to his none-compete clause and will reportedly begin his work at Nike in 2017, as per the industry's standard.
Dombrow's move also came 18 months after Adidas hired Nike's top three designers. As a matter of fact, the move went viral on social media, spawning over 22 million impressions in one day.
In other Under Armour news, the rising American sports apparel brand is reportedly opening a new design center in Portland later this year, Portland Business Journal noted. The company will take over an old 70,000 square foot YMCA building as UA aims to grow its footwear and innovation operations outside its Baltimore-based headquarters and closer to Nike's backyard.
"As Under Armour continues its global expansion, Portland has emerged as a strategic hub for the brand, specifically in footwear and innovation," the company said in a statement. "We are excited to grow our footprint in the city."
Meanwhile, to prove that Under Armour is making a heavy push into footwear, the company recently unveiled a full line of spiked and spikeless golf shoes designed for tour players and recreational golfers. The three golf shoes models are currently on presale on Under Armour's website and will be available at retail on Apr. 4, Golf reported.
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