Brendan Dunne 
The new Under Armour Micro G Gridiron Trainer is immediately a striking shoe, as it’s one of those rare instances that the American born UA have stepped out of their comfort zone with a slightly more casual-looking release. The design, a huge step for them as far as off-court wear, isn’t one that sacrifices their performance edge though. Connected athletes Arian Foster and Julio Jones were catered to in the design process and the lock down fit is there if you really want to put in work with the shoes. Shedding a little more light on the aims and intentions of the shoes is Ross Klein, the lead designer of the Under Armour Micro G Gridiron Trainer, who sat down with Sneaker News at a recent launch event hosted at the Mondrian Hotel on Sunset Boulevard in LA. Continue reading for the exclusive interview with Klein where we talk the Trainer, its Foot Locker exclusive status, upcoming lifestyle versions, and more.
Sneaker News: How did this model come to be? What was the gap you were looking to fill in the Under Armour range?
Ross Klein: Sometimes we look at the market, and then sometimes we’ll look at where we can blend a few ideas. We looked at and we said “We have this unbelievable heritage in football, and we have the understanding, the ability, and the creative designers to come up with something incredibly provocative and new”. That’s really where it stemmed from-the approach of building on processes. That’s really where it stemmed from. It was an idea that was just “Hey, let’s give it a try”.
SN: The Under Armour Micro G Gridiron Trainer is obviously an off-court/off-field shoe. Was there any worry that your audience would think that you were stepping away from that pure performance aim that you’re known for with this design?
RK: Well, I think when people pick up the shoe and look at it they’re gonna see the balance. And the balance of the inherit identity of Under Armour, which is extreme performance. I think people were getting the idea that not only are we about that, but we’re also about fit. Once you conquer those two ideas, people should get the idea. We want people to wear our shoes, you know? We want them to wear them off-court, off-field. If they find them appropriate to do so, fine. But the first and foremost principle of Under Armour is high performance for that sport. So we really don’t have any worry about losing that notion.
SN: What was the point that you reached where design-wise you knew you were hitting that performance angle right on so it was time to show people you could do something a little different like the Trainer here?
RK: What’s great is that you can say it’s off-field, but for us it wasn’t that way. It was-this is a shoe that people can wear but it’s a turf bottom. It still has the high performance element that’s meant for training. I’m grateful to hear that it’s a shoe that people see as an “off-court” design, something that you can wear with jeans. It has both the aesthetic and the ability.
SN: How far into the design process did you know that the model was going to be offered exclusively through Foot Locker?
RK: We have several teams at Under Armour that focus on the relationships and the builds. For myself I knew the athletes that we were catering towards so that we could really focus on the performance, the high end performance of what they need and then bring it to the public. How long was it till I knew about the Foot Locker partnership? I’ve known it for a long time, because you have to take into consideration when you do stuff like that the price point, the athletes it’s surrounded by, what sport you’re catering it towards. All the things that make something successful you have to have as a blueprint.
SN: We’ve heard some talk of forthcoming pairs that will push the lifestyle elements of the Under Armour Micro G Gridiron Trainer? Can you give us some hints as to what to expect in that realm?
RK: Yeah, a little bit. I think what we’re seeing with the shoe is that it can transcend itself from being worn with jeans to being worn on the field to being worn in training. For us it’s fun, we kind of tinker around with different identities and different looks and that’s what it was about. It was all about seeing what we can do. But I think that’s what Under Armour is about, seeing what we can do. And we not only say it to ourselves but other people say it to us. “See what they’re doing?” “What are they doing?” One of the things we love is people being on their toes to try and figure it out.
SN: It makes sense that your biggest off-court/off-field shoe yet comes from the football category since that’s the one that Under Armour has traditionally been the most focused on. Do you think you’re ready to put out this same sort of genre-bending shoe in other categories like running and basketball just yet?
RK: I would say we always focus on performance. Focusing on performance can at times lend itself to being worn in that way. But, do I ever go about that? Never. I will never go about that in the beginning of a design. For me, I’m huge into construction. Construction is like a puzzle, you can get a hundred piece puzzle or you can get a thousand-piece puzzle. What’s more challenging? The more challenging part for me is to identify different ways of attacking an issue. And if people appreciate it in a different light other than on court-fantastic.
SN: And that issue that you’re attacking is always that of catering to the elite athlete?
RK: Yeah
The Under Armour Micro G Gridiron Trainer is available now exclusively at Foot Locker. Many thanks to Under Armour, Foot Locker, and lead designer Ross Klein!
