Copyright Adweek
Building great products is easy for a season, but reshaping an entire industry takes conviction. Eric Liedtke has done it by following a clear principle: design with purpose, build with nature, and scale what works. In this episode of The Speed of Culture, Matt Britton sits down with Liedtke, CEO and co-founder of Unless Collective and brand president of Under Armour, to explore how he’s pioneering the movement toward regenerative fashion and plastic-free innovation. From his decades at Adidas to leading Under Armour’s transformation into a sustainability-driven performance brand, Eric shares how purpose, wellness, and eco-conscious design are redefining what the next era of sustainable sportswear looks like. Previously at Adidas, Eric rose from trainee to brand president, leading collaborations with icons like Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, and Beyoncé while embedding sustainability through initiatives like Parley for the Oceans. In 2021, he founded Unless Collective, the world’s first plastic-free apparel brand, built entirely from renewable, plant-based materials. The company was acquired by Under Armour in 2024, where Eric now leads a new phase of fashion industry transformation, merging high-performance design with eco-conscious innovation. His work stands at the intersection of leadership, regeneration, and wellness, setting new standards for how global brands operate responsibly. Key Takeaways: [03:04] Scaling Regenerative Fashion with Under Armour — The partnership between UNLESS Collective and Under Armour marks a turning point in sustainable sportswear. With Unless’s deep expertise in regenerative fashion and Under Armour’s global scale, Eric is advancing a new material era built on plant-based apparel, free from plastics, foams, and toxic dyes. This goes beyond just a project into a blueprint for how performance and the planet can move forward together. [10:22] Wellness and the New Consumer Mindset — The rise of wellness and consumer trends is reshaping how people choose what they wear. For Eric, fashion now extends into health, such that the fabrics we live in should care for our bodies and the environment alike. Through eco-conscious design, UNLESS and Under Armour are creating garments that are kind to skin, kind to earth, and built for movement, comfort, and purpose. [16:46] Moving Beyond Transactional Fashion — Fast fashion created a culture of constant disposal. Eric’s mission is to reverse that by building regenerative business models that give more than they take. Every UNLESS piece is designed to return to soil, not landfill. This is a quiet revolution redefining what sustainability means in practice and pointing toward a truly regenerative fashion economy. [20:46] Purpose-Driven Brand Innovation — From his early work at Adidas to his current role driving Under Armour innovation, Eric has seen how purpose-driven leadership sparks loyalty and creativity. Whether launching Parley’s ocean-plastic initiatives or rethinking performance gear through plastic-free innovation, he believes mission-centred brands inspire both their teams and their customers to believe in something bigger than a logo. [25:00] Authentic Influence and Brand Transformation — Influence today is more personal than ever. Eric partners with creators who live the message, athletes, designers, and storytellers rooted in eco-conscious design and authenticity. Together, they show that real brand transformation comes from alignment, not endorsement, and that cultural credibility grows one honest relationship at a time.
