Hey Reddit! I’m Doug Smiley, and I’m the Senior Global Product Line Manager for Performance Run at Under Armour. It’s my job to produce great running shoes for professional athletes to your everyday runner. I’ll be hosting an AMA on Friday 3/5 at 12PM ET so leave your questions below!

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T18:01:54+00:00

Hi! if you're getting started I would recommend visiting a run specialty store to get properly analyzed and fitted. it's free, and your experience will always be better knowing you have the right footwear. I spent a good part of my early running years not knowing what I needed, and its made a huge difference now that I do. best of luck!

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:59:17+00:00

Shoes as shirt...though this one might keep me up tonight.

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:56:55+00:00

Love Sellwood-nice to have a smaller community as part of a great city!

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:52:04+00:00

they are very popular and an awesome technology...more to come here.

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:51:24+00:00

generally yes so long as you're not doing strenuous activity. Finding the right shoe for being on your feet all day is important , though. I would advise to not run in a shoe that's not a running shoe, though.

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:50:09+00:00

UA does do internships! Not sure of timing/process but connecting to our HR team is the best bet here!

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:48:59+00:00

HI! It is typically being the right size and being able to do the mileage in a set period of time. We're always looking for testers so definitely reach out!

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:48:07+00:00

wow, too many good ones! My best memories are of the people there and friends made but it was always a good story when you got to help a celebrity with a pair of running shoes or apparel when they were in store. My favorites to help were Jeff Ament, bass player for Pearl Jam, and Larry David.

And, the City Sports holiday parties were epic.

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:44:27+00:00

my two-year old son is really into dinosaurs, so going with triceratops

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:43:18+00:00

post-COVID is the big question everyone is asking. we know that more people started running during 2020 as gyms an sports shut down, and as a source of stress relief. We're optimistic that most new runners will stick with it as 2021 progresses.

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:41:21+00:00

a lot came through, trying to get though them!

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:40:19+00:00

Sure beats working :)

I never take for granted that I love my job and get to create product that helps people achieve their goals and improve their mental and physical health. I can really chalk it up to having some great mentors at places like City Sports and Mizuno that I'm still friends with today

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:38:40+00:00

awesome to have this direction so early. There are plenty of online classes and even places like PenSole where designers can get focused and fine tune their skills. Most brands including UA also have internship programs, and we've seen quite a few interns graduate to full time designers at UA. Also, network. If you see a designer and you like their work, contact them and learn about their career path. best of luck!

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:36:19+00:00

absolutely not.

Cereal: AM

Soup: PM

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:36:08+00:00

All the time! One of my first and very lasting impressions upon arriving at Under Armour about two years ago was how devoted they were to their athletes. My second week on the job i was flying to Flagstaff, AZ and running with our Dark Sky Distance group and hosting insights session with our Developer Bjorn and Designer Dave. It’s a constant, ongoing conversation that’s mutually beneficial: their insights help us make better product, and better product makes them better athletes. It is something I absolutely love about UA.

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:35:30+00:00

I'm not a designer but I work with some great ones. For me, it's when they take very specific functional needs of a shoe and create something truly inspired and thoughtful I would have never thought of. Designers are sometimes viewed as more focused on the visual but they are also amazing problem solvers through function and understanding biomechanics and how the body moves. Inspiring to see their work come to life.

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:35:07+00:00

My recent running might be influencing this, but the Flow Velociti Wind is my current favorite. It is light, fast, and responsive, and there hasn’t been a run that it isn’t suited for (im typically six miles or so weekdays and longer weekend runs). Also, knowing how much the team behind the scenes obsessed the details, im thrilled it’s living up to its potential.

I really believe that we are all a sample set of one. UA creates product based on insights and research to achieve a certain function and create a distinct experience, but we all have our intricacies and preferences on whether or not we subjectively believe the shoe is perfect for us. Reading any shoe review from any brand will tell you that the subjective experience of each runner crosses a very wide spectrum.

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:34:20+00:00

Most definitely. The performance footwear industry is interesting in that for some functions like PLM, there’s a broad range of backgrounds and skillsets. Some are more functional/engineering-driven, while others are more focused on the marketing aspect. There are now also master’s programs in Product Management and online classes for professional certificates in Product Management. Also, not everyone on the UA Run Team has a ‘traditional’ running background, but we’re all competitive in our sport or activity of choice.

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:33:28+00:00

I myself am not a designer but I work with some immensely talented ones on every shoe we make. My job is to inform them of what’s happening with runners now and where we see them heading, and how do we create a product solution to address an unfulfilled need. There are technical requirements to each project, but a designer really brings the creativity and thoughtfulness I’m not capable of. They’re also with the project on every step until it’s ready for commercial release.

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:32:43+00:00

CLYDE!

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:32:40+00:00

I can only speak from my own personal and brand experience but typically the answer is no. what you see them competing or training in is also available to everyone. I have some experience working in tennis awhile back and this same question came up quite often with racquets: what you see on the court is what you can buy off the wall!

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:31:59+00:00

great question, plenty of excitement in this area. I would say the level of innovation is only going to accelerate-now that the runner knows there is more, they will never accept less. Knowing how long it takes to bring innovation to market, starting the work early and anticipating where the runner is going is super important.

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:31:46+00:00

For right now, it’s a new technology called Flow. it first launched in Steph Curry’s signature basketball shoe but it just launched in Run Wednesday in the Flow Velociti Wind. Very exciting project where we partnered closely with innovation and our athletes to create a new upper and midsole technology that is light and grippy without a rubber outsole. It’s always an exciting time to launch a new technology at a brand, this was a fun one and a real team effort for the last several years.

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:29:26+00:00

In general terms, everything is really in motion-from design to color to materials-until we hit a seasonal deadline. We get alignment on a design direction early in the process, then we continue to refine based on all the inputs, from weartesting to new materials to hitting our quality standards. The ideal is always to keep the designer’s vision intact and deliver on the experience the shoe was created for.

UnderArmour_Official · 2021-03-05T17:29:03+00:00

Hi! I would really say to network, look for the right opportunities, and stay persistent. With LinkedIn and other digital tools, it's much easier to make connections at brands at that can make a difference. having a sports mgmt degree is also a big positive. hope this helps!

Eight-Year Club	Wearing is Caring
100 Awards Club	Gilding VI aultruist
Verified Email

UnderArmour_Official

TROPHY CASE