This morning, Under Armour rolled out the initial beta of its new UA Icon shoe design studio. Shoppers will be able to upload photos from an iPhone or Android device and turn them into prints on a number of different styles. While Nike currently offers custom colors with its iD design studio, Under Armour is taking a much more interesting approach. Aside from uploading user-supplied images to UA Icon, you’ll also be able to choose from three other design options as well…
UA Icon Studio will be rolled out in beta form initially with orders beginning to ship in mid-July. Shoppers will be able to choose from four different style “tools” when it comes to building a customizable pair of shoes. At launch, there will be three models to choose from including the Curry 1’s, UA Highlights and Clutchfit Force 3.0 cleats. Most styles are set to be available later this year.
The first “tool” is your own images, which I’m sure will be amongst the most popular option. You’ll be able to upload just about any original photo and position it as you see fit on the shoe. There’s certainly bound to be some issues with copywriting that will come down the line but imagine a pair of shoes with an original piece of art work on the side? It’s bound to be a hit with sneakerheads looking to stand out from the crowd.
Under Armour also offers a customizable pattern tool that allows users to select colors on pre-designed prints. Each design size can be changed, as well as the direction and shape. Going this route will ensure that your shoe has a high-quality look, according to Under Armour, which may be an issue with user uploaded images.
As well, there will be “limited edition” prints that will rotate periodically for each shoe. These will range from custom Under Armour designs to artist-made patterns. There’s not much detail on this category, other than that UA promises to roll out new looks fairly regularly.
The final option for designing a shoe in the UA Icon studio is creating a look from a range of colors. This is much more in-line with what Nike iD has been doing for years. You’ll be able to select a shade from a large palette for each section of shoe as desired. The any color you want section isn’t as groundbreaking as the other options mentioned above but it is nice to see Under Armour catch up to the competition here.
UA Icon Studio is sure to have some bumps along the way, but it is now officially available for use over at Under Armour’s official site. Orders will be begin shipping in around four weeks. You can learn more about UA Icon Studio here and start designing your own custom shoe today.
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