Fans who are familiar with Curry may know that this cute star who is ridiculed as a "primary school student" actually has an idol known for his toughness and bravery, and that is Bruce Lee.
In March last year, Curry signed under armour to a new contract and became president of the Curry brand. After the "promotion", Curry seems to have started chasing stars in his own way. For example, recently, the Curry brand x Bruce Lee Year of the Dragon Bruce Lee collaboration series was released in China, with a number of special color sneakers and a variety of clothing products carefully designed, so that Curry's respect for idols can be fully displayed.
Although this is not the first time that Curry and Bruce Lee have collaborated across time and space, it is the first time that they have joined forces. With this collection, the curry brand hopes to pay tribute to Bruce Lee's "I hit!" "Spirit. Behind the tribute, there is actually an attempt by Under Armour and the Curry brand to tap the value of Curry's stars and release the charm of Curry's personality through co-branding and brand marketing over the years.
A collaboration full of easter eggs
In fact, on November 27 last year, on the 83rd anniversary of Bruce Lee's birth, the co-branded collection was partially released in North America. The launch event in China is to further launch more co-branded styles at the special time of the 50th anniversary of Bruce Lee's death when the Year of the Dragon is approaching. The arrangement of the time node is enough to see the importance that the brand attaches to this collaboration.
In addition to the previously unveiled Curry 11 Bruce Lee "Fire" and the Curry 1 Low Flotro Bruce Lee "Earth", the other three co-branded sneakers that have been revealed include:
Curry 11 Bruce Lee "Wind".
Curry 11 Bruce Lee "Future Dragon".
Curry 4 Low Flotro Bruce Lee "Water".
Each pair of shoes in this collaboration is implied by Under Armour's design team. Bruce Lee's wife, Linda, once said that Bruce Lee had a persevering goal in mind, and even in the most difficult moments, he was always unwavering and brave to move forward. This is exactly the meaning of Curry 1 Low Flotro Bruce Lee "Earth", that is, to find the goal, keep your feet on the ground, and then climb up step by step with solid diligence. As a result, Under Armour Curry 1, the first generation of Under Armour's signature shoe, which was launched by Under Armour in February 2015, was chosen as the bearer. The 2014-2015 season was the first time Curry led the team to the championship and the beginning of the rise of the Warriors dynasty.
Curry personally put the shoes on his feet during the regular season game in which he sank the Clippers.
In addition, 2024 is the 50th anniversary of the release of the movie "Enter the Dragon", and Curry 11 Bruce Lee "Future Dragon" adopts a color design similar to the style of broken glass, paying tribute to Bruce Lee's classic scene in "Enter the Dragon". The Curry 11 Bruce Lee "Fire" is a red shoe with a yellow lining, and the upper is printed with dragon scales, which has a full Bruce Lee element in the shape.
It is not difficult to find that this joint series has changed the practice of Bruce Lee co-branding in the past, which often used yellow as the main color and printed Bruce Lee's classic image, and the packaging design is based on some of Bruce Lee's artworks, such as his graffiti on the movie script. The design team retained the original sketch form while even mimicking the texture of the paper. In short, each shoe body and even the abundant hidden easter eggs on the packaging are waiting for fans and sneaker players to decipher.
It is worth mentioning that the Curry 1 Low Flotro and Curry 4 Low Flotro in the co-branded models have switched to UA Flow as the sole cushioning material. It is undoubtedly a great blessing for sneaker lovers who want to try classic shoe shapes but are worried about the "brick" foot feel.
It started with a joint name and ended with a legacy
This collaboration is not the first time that Curry's series of products have been linked with Bruce Lee. The 2021 Atlanta** case resulted in eight deaths, six of whom were Asian women. After the incident, Curry put on a pair of custom-made sneakers during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on April 4 of that year, with Bruce Lee and his family's ** printed on the upper and the words "Under the He**ens, there is but one family" (天下一一). After the game, the shoes raised $51,000 through auction, and Curry and Bruce Lee** pledged to donate all of them to the victims' families.
In a report on "Andscape", Curry once directly expressed his respect for Bruce Lee. He said that Bruce Lee did what he said he would do, made himself greater than he imagined, and influenced people along the way. With such a statement, Curry hopes to remind people to respect each other and encourage more people to understand the spirit of Bruce Lee.
Curry's own love and tribute to Bruce Lee doesn't stop there. In 2020, the new UA Flow cushioning technology on top of the Curry Flow 8 changed the development trend of Curry's signature shoes. In the same year, the curry brand was officially launched. It can be said that these are the two most important events in the cooperation between Curry and Under Armour. And at such a critical juncture, Bruce Lee's "figure" can be seen.
Curry Flow 8 Warriors' exclusive colorway, with the theme of "flow like water", is inspired by Bruce Lee's classic phrase "be like water". At the same time, in the first advertisement of the curry brand, there is also Curry sitting** Bruce Lee's past video, listening to his sonorous and powerful "now, water can flow, or it can crash" plot. As for the slogan "change the game for good" shouted at the end of the advertisement, it also echoes Bruce Lee's deeds of founding Jeet Kune Do and changing the sport of fighting, emphasizing that the curry brand will aim for innovation.
Innovation is reflected in product co-branding, the most typical two examples are the co-branding of Curry Flow 9 with Sesame Street, and the co-branding of Curry 7 and Sour Patch Kids. The former is a traditional children's educational program that has been on the air since 1969 and has been strong for more than 50 years, while the latter is Curry's personal favorite long-established fruit gummy brand. These two collaborations are different from the conventional practice of choosing luxury goods or top-tier IP co-branding, and their commonality is that they not only reinforce Curry's affectionate image as a "schoolboy" to the outside world, but also focus on the next generation, fully demonstrating the brand's care. While weakening the flavor of co-branded marketing, it can also attract people of different generations.
It can be said that Bruce Lee influenced Curry, and Curry changed Under Armour.
Ten years Under Armour, ten years of superstar road
If you count from the first signing of the two parties in 2013, Curry and Under Armour have spent a full decade together. Mutual achievement is probably a conclusion that the outside world has made about the cooperation between the two sides spanning ten years.
Curry was questioned early in his career, and that skepticism is with him to this day. And almost every time, Under Armour has responded in clever ways to show his support for Curry. For example, in the 2015-2016 season, when a record 73 wins in the regular season did not win a championship, Curry and the Warriors fell into the first accusation and ridicule. So, under armour, when he released the Curry 3 signature sneaker, he created a campaign**. Curry was covered by a thick mask and couldn't make a sound, and others counted the doubts he had suffered: weak physique, poor confrontation, vague position, 73 wins and lost the championship, etc., and then the style of painting changed, and everyone sent encouraging words to Curry: "Now make that old".
I will," Curry responded. The following season, the Warriors did their revenge in the Finals, and this ad became one of the favorite ads of Curry fans. Many people have gone to the bottom of the 2016-2017 season to leave a message "wish".
Another corresponding brand story comes from the limited edition collaboration between Curry Brand and Tuff Crowd in 2023. Tuff Crowd is a trendy brand founded by Curry's rookie Jennings. The friendship between the two has lasted since their rookie season, witnessing their highs and lows, so this collaboration includes the UA Spawn Flotro, a series that Curry wore many times when he signed with Under Armour and didn't have a personal signature shoe, and at the same time frequently wore it again after winning the championship in the 2021-2022 season.
What's more, this collaboration combines Tuff Crowd's signature black and red edge style to launch a series of shoes and apparel items including Curry 11 and UA Spawn Flotro. The core theme echoes Curry's previous feat of leading the team to win the fourth championship in the 2021-2022 season and winning the FMVP for the first time, boldly asking the outside world: "What they go to say now?" ”
Interestingly, this Bruce Lee co-branded series is based on Bruce Lee's iconic "I fight! For the sake of the propaganda theme, this style of fearless questioning is followed. On closer examination, Curry and Bruce Lee actually have a lot of similarities, both were born in the Year of the Dragon, and both have a close relationship with Oakland. It does reflect the spirit of the two legends who do not admit defeat.
Commenting on the collaboration, Curry said: "Bruce Lee's greatness stems from his understanding, focus, and dedication to his purpose in life, which is a great example of how we can change the world in our own way. And this is also the meaning of co-branding, not only marketing, but also showing the spirit of Curry and Bruce Lee, and then conveying it to more people.
Disclaimer: This article was originally written by Lazy Bear Sports, **Please indicate the source.