In what I think is a first, I know the name of an Under Armour designer. If you find any sneakerhead and ask them to name a designer these are the names that will ring out, Tinker, Dolce, Chang, and Avar. It’s a given that most sneakerheads know these names. There is a reason why this is important. When I first started designing shoes my names were Edwards and Stokes. Those were my virtual mentors from the world of sneaker design. Having the name of the person who created the sketches attached me to the product in a different way. It made the brand and the sneaker… human, approachable and attainable. Not attainable in that I could buy it, but in that I could be bold enough to create my own shoes. I wasn’t a ball player anymore, but I could still be like someone in the industry and this gave me direction.
What does this have to do with Leon Gu?
Everything. I created a concept named E.N.D.E.A.R.S.
In this concept for marketing sneakers I made it a point to establish that the designer was just as important as the athlete and should be celebrated and named in all marketing campaigns. Nike has always made sure to let you know who designed the shoe. Other brands didn’t make an effort to educate, the first E in E.N.D.E.A.R.S. I’ve written countless articles explaining that Nike’s signature shoes have benefited from the simplest, but most overlooked strategy in marketing, educating the consumer on who led the creation of a pair of kicks.
Under Armour has finally taken the time to introduce us to the designer of the Curry 7. I honestly don’t know the name of any of the designers of Under Armour’s shoes. There isn’t a narrative around why the shoe was created. I’ve long admonished UA for failing to deliver the stories around Curry. I’ve written entire articles explaining how the brand went from 16+ marketing strategies around the Curry 1 to Zero for the Curry 5 and 6 basically. While the marketing around the Curry 7 hasn’t been enough in my opinion, I know Leon Gu now and it’s a start.
Will most people look up this info? Probably not.
Will sneakerheads check for the Curry 7? Probably not.
Is this a waste of time by Under Armour? Hell no.
Marketing isn’t about what you think the people want, it’s about delivering enough information that Leon Gu becomes a household name. Notice that I’ve said Leon Gu about 7 times in this post? I don’t work for Under Armour, but I’m an advocate for storytelling and an advocate for designers. UA just introduced me to Leon Gu, so I’m introducing you to why Leon Gu designed the Curry 7; a shoe that arrives in possibly the hardest season Steph is facing in 5 years. A shoe that may be the model that sees Steph miss his first playoffs and you know what? All of that doesn’t matter if UA takes the time and tells us about each colorway and we get to learn more about Curry and Leon working together. Under Armour needs storytelling and this is a good start.
Leon Gu, lol. That’s the guy that designed the Curry 7.