Mark Havens
By Zach Samalonis
Recently the University announced that Under Armour would be a sponsor of Jefferson athletes. But the partnership with Under Armour doesn’t stop there. Jefferson Industrial Design students now have the opportunity to collaborate with the athletic equipment company to explore new potential applications for emerging Under Armour technology.
The project challenged students to form interdisciplinary groups from various majors including Industrial Design, Textile Design, Business, Athletic Training, Fashion Enterprise and Textile Engineering. The diverse teams are participating in a two-fold project with Under Armour, one that spans over both the fall and spring semesters of the 2017-18 year.
The fall semester focused on learning about Under Armour’s new proprietary technology and brainstorming ways it could be used in new applications, all while thinking about the Under Armour customer. The teams were then asked to create a business model and presentation that illustrated the potential applications. Each team then traveled to the company’s global headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland and presented their ideas.
Senior Erica Blair was one of the Industrial Design students that traveled to Baltimore. “I had an incredible experience presenting to the Under Armour team. We received great feedback and constructive criticism that really moved our project to the next level,” said Erica. “The tour of the campus was also inspiring – we learned a lot about their manufacturing processes as well as everyday life as an employee.”
Valmar Wilson, a junior in the program, found the work culture was unique and inviting. “The Under Armour team was friendly and considered themselves more of an athletic team than a company. They called each other ‘teammates’ and even had a gym were everybody came to work out.”
The spring semester will push students to take their ideas even further. The teams will visit the headquarters several times and have the opportunity to experiment at the Under Armour facilities.
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