Top 10 Sportswear Brands in the World

It is of no doubt that sports companies have been supplying one of the best quality of apparel, shoes and equipment to athletes and sport fans. With the increase of ecommerce, the popularity of the top sports companies have increased and the sportswear world is now minting gold.

Now, not only sports players prefer to wear sportswear produced by these companies but even young demographics.

But while there exist more than a few hundred sportswear brands on the global stage, we prefer to pick the top 10 sportswear brands in the world, which are known by their fair share of fame and have provided a chunk of brand value and inspiration for decades.

The top sports brands include:

Nike

Nike is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, in the Portland metropolitan area. It is the world’s largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$24.1 billion in its fiscal year 2012 (ending May 31, 2012).

As of 2012, it employed more than 44,000 people worldwide. In 2014, the brand alone was valued at $19 billion, making it the most valuable brand among sports businesses. As of 2017, the Nike brand is valued at $29.6 billion. Nike ranked No. 89 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.

Adidas

Adidas is a multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the world, after Nike. It is the holding company for the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade golf company (including Ashworth), Runtastic, an Austrian fitness technology company and 8.33% of German football club Bayern Munich. Adidas’ revenue for 2016 was listed at €19.29 billion.

The company was started by Adolf Dassler in his mother’s house; he was joined by his elder brother Rudolf in 1924 under the name Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory. Dassler assisted in the development of spiked running shoes (spikes) for multiple athletic events. To enhance the quality of spiked athletic footwear, he transitioned from a previous model of heavy metal spikes to utilising canvas and rubber. Dassler persuaded U.S. sprinter Jesse Owens to use his handmade spikes at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Puma

Puma is a German multinational company that designs and manufactures athletic and casual footwear, apparel and accessories, which is headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. PUMA is the third largest sportswear manufacturer in the world. The company was founded in 1948 by Rudolf Dassler. In 1924, Rudolf and his brother Adolf Dassler had jointly formed the company Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory).

Puma has been a public company since 1986, listed at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. French luxury group Kering (formerly known as Pinault-Printemps-Redoute or PPR) holds 16%, Kering’s largest shareholder Artemis SA owns 29% of the share capital. Since 1 July 2013, the company has been led by former football professional Bjørn Gulden (CEO). As of 2017, Puma SE employs more than 13,000 people worldwide and distributes its products in more than 120 countries. As of 2018, the company is worth €4.64 billion.

Under Armour

Under Armour, Inc. is an American company that manufactures footwear, sports, and casual apparel. Under Armour’s global headquarters are located in Baltimore, Maryland with additional offices located in Amsterdam (European headquarters), Austin, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Houston, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Munich, New York City, Panama City (international headquarters), Paris, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Francisco, São Paulo, Santiago, Seoul, Shanghai (Greater Chinese headquarters), and Toronto.

Under Armour was founded on September 25, 1996 by Kevin Plank, a then 24-year-old former special teams captain of the University of Maryland football team. Under Armour is valued at $1,000,000,000.

Reebok

Reebok is an English footwear and apparel company, subsidiary of German sports giant Adidas since 2005. Reebok produces and distributes fitness, running and CrossFit sportswear including clothing and footwear. It is the official footwear and apparel sponsor for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), CrossFit, and Spartan Race.

In 1958, Reebok was established as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, founded in 1895 in Bolton, Lancashire, England. From 1958 until 1986, all Reebok apparel featured with the UK flag. The Union Jack is featured on Reebok’s “Classic” line of apparel.

The company’s global headquarters are located in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. with regional offices in Amsterdam, Montreal, Hong Kong, and Mexico City. The brand is valued at $1.2 billion.

Air Jordan

Air Rad is a brand of basketball shoes, athletic, casual, and style clothing produced by Nike. It was created for former professional basketball player Michael Jordan. The original Air Jordan sneakers were produced exclusively for Michael Jordan in early 1984, and released to the public in late 1984.

The shoes were designed for Nike by Peter Moore, Tinker Hatfield, and Bruce Kilgore. In September 2018, French football team, Paris St. Germain (PSG) unveiled third and fourth kits featuring the Air Jordan logo on the chest. These models were designed to be worn only in the UEFA Champions League.

Umbro

Umbro is an English sportswear and football equipment supplier based in Cheadle, next to Manchester, England. Umbro designs, sources, and markets football-related apparel, footwear, and equipment. Its products are sold in over 90 countries worldwide. Since 2012, the company has been a subsidiary of American company Iconix Brand Group.

On 23 October 2007, it was announced Umbro had agreed to be bought by Nike in a deal worth GB£285 million, the equivalent of 193p per share. The Umbro board recommended to its shareholders they vote in favour of the approach, as it offered a very competitive price for the business. Umbro’s share price at the time of the offer was close to 130p. The deal was approved by regulators in December 2007 and concluded in February 2008. With the objective of revitalising the brand, Umbro launched the “Tailored by England” lines. As of 4 June 2009, Umbro signed a deal with Manchester City to supply kits for the team. Wearing Umbro kits, Manchester City won its first championship in 34 years.

Champion

Champion is an American manufacturer of clothing, specializing in sportswear. The brand is a subsidiary of Hanesbrands (based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina), which was spun off by the Sara Lee Corporation. The company was originally based in Rochester, New York, prior to its acquisition by Sara Lee.

“Champion” is HanesBrands’ second-largest brand with the namesake Hanes brand in first place. Other brands owned by HanesBrands Inc. are Playtex (its third-largest brand), Bali, Just My Size, Barely There, Wonderbra, L’eggs, C9 by Champion, Duofold, Beefy-T, Outer Banks, Sol y Oro, Rinbros, Zorba and Ritmo. Hanesbrands saw sales climb 2 percent in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, to $1.80 billion, returning to organic sales growth, for the first time in eight quarters. The rise was driven primarily by double-digit international segment growth.

Kappa

Kappa is an Italian sportswear brand founded in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. It was founded as a sock firm in Turin, Italy, in 1916 but didn’t become ‘Kappa’ until 1967.

Kappa’s heritage is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for contemporary lifestyle. There are details and styles that go beyond time and identify a taste and a way of being. The Authentic Label take inspiration from this iconic and valuable heritage to reinterpret it in a new way all the time. Total look collections are born from the rereading of the styles that made the history of the brand, able to reach and capture different cultures and references of our time. Kappa Authentic is a classic that constantly reinvented and imposes itself as a trend. Kappa has a net worth of € 8,946 million as at 2018.

Skechers

Skechers USA is an American lifestyle and performance footwear company. Headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, the brand was founded in 1992. Now the third largest athletic footwear brand in the United States, Skechers earned more than $4.64 billion in revenues during the 2018 fiscal year. As of January 2018, the company employed approximately 11,800 people worldwide.

Skechers’ early products were utility-style boots and skate shoes; the company has since diversified to include athletic and casual styles for men, women, and children, as well as performance shoes. The company offers two footwear categories: a lifestyle division that includes Skechers Memory Foam, the charity line BOBS and Relaxed Fit comfort shoes, and a performance division that includes Skechers GOrun and Skechers GOwalk footwear. Through licensing agreements, the company offers branded bags, watches, eyewear and additional merchandise.