Conflict often precedes progress. Sometimes, discord is required to change hearts and minds.
And sometimes, beauty is born of chaos.
That’s exactly what happened in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in NYC.
The police raid of the popular gay bar led to a series of monumental demonstrations by the gay community in NYC, ultimately sparking the LGBTQ rights movement in the United States.
Now, fifty years after the Stonewall Uprising, the LGBTQ community continues to march every June to commemorate the event and bring awareness to their ongoing fight for justice and equality.
Part of the mission at Under Armour is to stand for equality, and we’re committed to supporting LGBTQ athletes.
In celebration of Pride Month, UA is launching a special edition colourway of the HOVR SLK. Our hope is that these vibrant, rainbow-splashed shoes will support marchers in Pride parades across the country, and act as a reminder of the journey still ahead.
Because Under Armour believes that representation is so important, they have developed numerous culture clubs for internal employees, to represent underserved or minority groups within the company.
UNIFIED – UA’s LGBTQ culture club – worked in collaboration with UA design, product management, merchandising and marketing teams during development of the UA Pride collection, ensuring that the product and messaging were both authentic and respectful.
The collection was modelled by Baltimore natives who identify as part of the LGBTQ community. The imagery will be featured on UA.com, at UA Brand Houses and in Macy’s, UA’s wholesale partner for this collection.
Additionally, Under Armour continues to provide financial and strategic support to the athlete advocacy group Athlete Ally, a nonprofit aimed at educating and activating athletic communities to eliminate homophobia and transphobia in sports.
In addition to the apparel and footwear launch and Under Armour’s Athlete Ally partnership, Under Armour will be sponsoring the Pride parades in Baltimore, Austin and World Pride in NYC, as well as participating in the San Francisco Pride, to celebrate Under Armour’s ongoing commitment to equality and opportunity for all.
The UA Pride Collection will be available on May 22 at UA.com and Under Armour Brand Houses, followed by Macys.com and Macy’s stores the first week of June.