12: Forging a regenerative future for fashion: Insights from Eric Liedtke, executive vice president of brand strategy at Under Armour and founder and chief executive officer of UNLESS Collective

Marketing Beyond with Alan B. Hart

Can streetwear be made with zero plastic?

Eric Liedtke says it can be, and he is on a mission to systematically change the fashion industry by shifting away from petroleum-based materials to plant-based materials. In 2014, Eric was already a leader in the fashion industry as the Head of Sports Performance at Adidas when the issues of micro and nano plastics were brought to his attention. As a vegan who loves to surf, Eric could not turn away from the fact that his work in fashion was contributing to the problem. By 2019, he stepped away from his executive board position at Adidas to launch UNLESS Collective, a statement streetwear brand with a regenerative creation model, meaning their products are made sustainably using zero plastic and decompose into nutrient-rich soil. UNLESS was recently acquired by Under Armour, and with that acquisition, Eric was also hired as their executive vice president of brand strategy.

In today’s episode, Alan and Eric talk about what the acquisition means for UNLESS Collective’s mission, how it fits into Under Armour’s larger strategy, and where Eric thinks the Under Armour brand can go. UNLESS is on the cutting edge of sustainable fashion, and solutions to many of its challenges are still being invented. The backing of Under Armour has empowered UNLESS to invest in the research needed to make Eric’s dreams a reality. With a background leading brands like Reebok, Eric also understands that UNLESS must meet consumers where they are and not ask them to compromise their tastes or budgets. Once the tech is fully developed and brought to market correctly, Eric believes they will truly transform the fashion industry.

Key quotes:

“People care. The [challenge] is they don’t want to compromise their taste or the quality of the product for their values, and they don’t want to compromise really too much on price.” - Eric Liedtke, executive vice president of brand strategy at Under Armour and founder and chief executive officer of UNLESS Collective

“So, step one, get the value at the same level they’re [the customer is] expecting, get the quality at the same level they’re expecting, get the taste at the same level they’re expecting, [and] get it built on a better stack. Step two is scaling the brand and getting the volumes to hit the unit economics on par.” - Eric Liedtke, executive vice president of brand strategy at Under Armour and founder and chief executive officer of UNLESS Collective

In this episode, you'll learn:

How UNLESS is overcoming the challenges of manufacturing streetwear with zero petroleum-based materials

Eric's strategy to bring innovative value-aligned products to market at scale

The importance of authenticity in modern marketing

Key highlights:

[02:25] Eric's career path

[06:40] The founding story of UNLESS

[10:40] Zero wasted hours

[13:20] The logistics of moving from plastic to plant-based

[18:00] Evolving marketing with technology

[21:30] Benefits of working with Under Armour

[23:45] Propelling the Under Armour brand

[27:15] An experience that defines you: Having purpose-led parents

[30:10] Advice to your younger self: Don’t let perfect get in the way of better

[31:25] A topic marketers need to learn more about: People want real

[34:00] Subcultures to follow: Surf

[35:40] Largest opportunity and threat to marketers today: AI and authenticity

Resources mentioned:

Eric Liedtke

UNLESS Collective

Under Armour

Parley for the Oceans

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