Under Armour to create ‘spacewear’ for Virgin Galactic astronauts
Just when you thought that fashion companies had used the “-wear”
suffix for just about every activity imaginable, Under Armour has gone and
upped the game with “spacewear”. The US sportswear brand has been named by
Virgin Galactic as its exclusive technical spacewear partner tasked with
the job of designing and fabricating suits for commercial space flights.
Virgin Galactic, the spaceflight company within Richard Branson’s Virgin
Group, said that it chose Under Armour because of the brand’s experience
in technical innovation, and hopes the decision will bring Virgin Galactic one step
closer to its mission of making commercial space travel a reality.
Under Armour to design next gen spacewear
“I have followed Under Armour’s progress through a personal friendship
with its CEO, Kevin Plank, and via the great relationships it has
established over the years with various Virgin companies,” Richard Branson
said in a statement on Thursday. “I’ve loved its determination to push
technical boundaries in order to improve performance, so could not have
been more pleased when Kevin and his talented teams stepped up to the
considerable task of creating a range of space apparel and performance
programs for Virgin Galactic.”
“Our partnership is built on the firm foundations of shared values and it
will be an absolute privilege to wear an Under Armour astronaut space suit
on Virgin Galactic’s inaugural commercial space flight.”
The new partnership will also see Under Armour creating uniforms for
Virgin Galactic’s team at Spaceport America in New Mexico, with different
suits being designed to enhance performance in the varying roles at the
company.
Under Armour CEO, Kevin Plank, added: “Working with Sir Richard and
Virgin Galactic is an opportunity of a lifetime, one that has the entire
Under Armour team across the world excited. This is a great opportunity to
test our innovation at the highest level and continue to push the limits of
human performance.”
The full range of apparel and footwear is set to be revealed later this
year, ahead of Richard Branson’s inaugural commercial flight.
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Photo credit: Virgin Galactic