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and camps and training 2,500 coaches,” Drew says. “By 2025, we aim to create 20 safe spaces to play, support and invest in 125 programs and camps and train 15,000 coaches. As we develop our impact model and build our portfolio of partners, we’re committed to impact over 100,000 youth by 2025.” Drew adds, “Curry Brand aims to change the game for good. We’ve collaborated with Stephen for many years, and through this relationship, we’ve realized that, together, we have an opportunity to push forward our vision for a better world, especially for young people.” Like any authentic performance athletic brand worth its salt, Curry Brand also features a game-changing technology: Under Armour’s Flow, a proprietary foam compound that provides lightweight cushioning and supreme traction that has now been adapted specifically for basketball in the debut Curry Flow 8. “We obsoleted rubber for basketball shoes,” says Tom Luedecke, director of footwear design for Under Armour. “The Curry Flow 8 effectively disrupts the Stephen Curry test design of a traditional basketball shoe, bringing unparaldrives the Curry 8 leled traction, lightweight performance ground-contact “Feel Good Flow,” the brand’s first collab. cushioning and grippy on-court feel.” Fred Dojan, Under Armour’s vice president of Footwear Development, notes the Curry Flow 8 was three years in the making—a collaborative effort between Dow and multiple Under Armour R&D teams. Creating a shoe that offers optimal traction, cushioning and stability for agility and responsiveness, i.e. the needs of a point guard, required some outside the box thinking. “Our Innovation team Why Under Armour added a namesake brand reversed the engineering process and designed UA Flow from flexibility to stability, bucking traditional industry for its flagship athlete. standards,” he says, adding that the single material breaks the mold as other brands combine foam and rubber. “We then added a stability plate to ultimately create a holistic system around the STEPHEN CURRY’S TIME has come. The superstar guard for the Golden foot of the basketball player.” State Warriors, who has attained household name status over his 11-year Of course, the shoes have to look as good as they perform. Luedecke believes career, is ready to take the next step in his storied career: eponymous the Curry Flow 8 hits that mark serendipitously because form, function and brand. It’s rarified air, as there is only one other in existence, named after innovation are so closely intertwined with style. “The design of the Curry another pretty good point guard who won six NBA championships with the Flow 8 achieves a balance of complexity and simplicity,” he says, noting that, Chicago Bulls. (Maybe you’ve heard of him?) Being a three-time NBA champion, on the one hand, the complexity of engineering a dynamic, soft and flexible two-time league MVP and a six-time all-star, Curry, the long-time Under Armour shoe that performs excellent on-court is achieved. “Yet the design is executed endorser, has gained the respect on and off the court (his jersey is consistently at a level of refinement that betrays the engineering prowess inside.” Plus, the a top seller year after year) to carry his own brand, and that’s exactly what the funky, singular material sole just looks cool. parent company is endorsing with its launch last month. Looking ahead, Drew says the Curry Brand will introduces new colorways Ryan Drew, general manager of the Curry Brand, believes that, like Michael and branch out int golf and apparel categories this year and, in the seasons Jordan, Curry possesses the rare combination of athletic talents, philanthropic ahead, add running and women’s. “Participating in a wide range of sports was passion and magnetic charisma to make it happen. “What makes him worthy a big part of Stephen’s athletic and personal development, so Curry Brand of the distinction is that he, and the brand by default, are completely purposewill embrace that as well,” Drew says, adding that collabs are also important driven,” he says. “It’s not about him or the game, it’s bigger. The Curry Brand part of that recipe, so long as they’re “organic.” The first of which dropped is driven by purpose—it’s about doing good in everything that we do, and last month: the Curry 8 “Feel Good flow,” a collaboration with local Oakland that’s something that both Stephen and Under Armour believe people can artist Allison “Hueman” Torneros. “This local community tie built into its get behind, now more than ever before.” design becomes the first creative expression of the brand’s ethos—performance The doing good aspect entwined within the Curry Brand is driven by a powering purpose,” Drew says. mission to ensure everyone has equitable access to sport. Drew cites studies Looking even further into the future, Drew says the goal for the Curry Brand that show less than 30 percent of youth ages 6 to 18 growing up in low-income is to stick to the game plan of changing the game for good—just on a much households participate in organized sports, and those kids are six times more broader scale. Think more breakthrough products and a relentless drive to likely to quit sports because of financial costs. And as many sports programs give back. “We’re doing business differently by using a community approach,” impose increased fees and logistical hurdles in response to the pandemic, the exec says, noting that a minimum of 1 percent of yearly revenue will be experts anticipate participation will only decrease, heightening the disparities reserved to Curry Brand community investments. “Of course, more revenue even more. The Curry Brand aims to reverse that trend. “We’ll begin (this year) means more dollars flow back into the community.” —Greg Dutter by creating three safe spaces to play, supporting and investing in 25 programs The Curry Flow 8 features a breakthrough sole construction.
Curry Added to the Menu
38 footwearplusmagazine.com • january 2021