Under Armour Addition is a Feather in the Cap for Trust Protocol
May 25, 2026 I’m old enough to remember the “Cotton is the Enemy” campaign from Under Armour. I suspect most of our cotton producer audience is, too.
It’s hard to believe now, but “Cotton Is the Enemy” has actually been gone for longer than it existed. Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank founded the brand in 1996, and immediately implemented the marketing campaign, which he hoped would promote his synthetic line of athletic apparel.
Plank’s polyester clothing line had “moisture wicking” capabilities, unlike the “heavy, sweat-soaked” cotton-based brands he considered his competition. It was all marketing hokum, of course.
The things is — it was effective. Plank and Under Armour employed the “Cotton is the Enemy” campaign until 2010, by which time the brand was worth over a billion dollars. Major professional sports franchises wore the Under Armour logo on their uniforms. Superstar athletes endorsed the brand.
Why then, in 2010, did it reverse course on who, exactly, was the enemy? Because Plank was still a smart marketer, and he saw the writing on the wall. Consumers still preferred the feel of cotton in their everyday attire. The talented staff at Cotton Incorporated helped Plank see the light back then, and soon Under Armour was promoting “Charged Cotton” in their athletic apparel lines.
That was a full 15 years ago, but it seems Under Armour — once the sworn enemy of American cotton — has again seen the writing on the wall. In April, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol announced that Under Armour, Inc. was coming into the fold, joining the Trust Protocol to “advance more responsible, transparent cotton sourcing in the United States.”
Like many apparel brands, Under Armour has recognized that sustainable production and sustainable sourcing are becoming increasingly important to consumers. And as more reports emerge on the dangers of microplastics — and their relation to manmade fibers — Under Armour and others will be turning increasingly to natural fibers.
Credit here goes to the staff at the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, which earlier this year came under the co-direction of Marjory Walker and Liz Hershfield. It’s no easy task to turn an old enemy into an ardent ally and partner. This development is a feather in the cap of Walker, Hershfield, and the entire Trust Protocol team.
It also serves as another reminder that the Trust Protocol is working quite effectively. Consumer brands are in search of sustainable sourcing. The savvy folks at the National Cotton Council recognized early on that the American cotton industry had to be equipped to give retail brands precisely what they needed. Kudos to all involved in that prescient decision.
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