Podcast Summary: Marketing Beyond with Alan B. Hart – Episode 12: Forging a Regenerative Future for Fashion

Release Date: July 2, 2025

Introduction

In Episode 12 of Marketing Beyond, host Alan B. Hart engages in a profound conversation with Eric Litke, the Executive Vice President of Brand Strategy at Under Armour and the Founder and CEO of Unless Collective. This episode delves into Eric's transformative journey from leading sustainability initiatives at Adidas to pioneering regenerative fashion practices at Under Armour through Unless Collective.

1. Eric Litke’s Career Journey

Eric Litke shares his unconventional path into the fashion industry, highlighting his start in an advertising agency in Detroit where he realized his passion for sports over traditional corporate roles.

• Determination and Networking: Eric's persistence led him to connect with industry veterans, ultimately securing a position at Adidas in 1994 after a year-long effort without modern conveniences like cell phones or email.

  "It took me 12 months to land a job there, but I never looked back." [02:38]

• Ascension to Leadership: Over 26 years, Eric rose from entry-level positions to become the Brand President at Adidas, overseeing all aspects of creation, including strategy, product development, and digital concepts.

  "I found myself at the top of the company, or 20 years later, I was the brand president of Adidas." [02:38]

2. Founding Unless Collective: A Mission-Driven Shift

Driven by a compelling vision to combat plastic waste, Eric stepped away from Adidas in December 2019 to focus on sustainable innovation.

• Inspiration from Parley for the Oceans: A pivotal moment occurred in 2014 when Cyril Gooch of Parley for the Oceans enlightened Eric about the devastating impact of microplastics on marine life and human health.

  "Once you go down that rabbit hole, it's hard to come back up and be like, oh, everything's normal again." [06:53]

• Genesis of Unless Collective: In 2020, amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Eric co-founded Unless Collective with like-minded individuals to develop products made entirely from plant and mineral-based materials, striving for a completely regenerative lifecycle.

  "We could make some product out of just plants and minerals." [09:00]

3. Technical Challenges in Sustainable Fashion

Eric details the intricate process of transitioning from petroleum-based to plant-based materials, emphasizing the technical hurdles and innovative solutions necessary for sustainable fashion.

• Overcoming the Five Horsemen: The primary challenges identified include substitutes for glues, foams, dyes, and other petroleum-dependent components vital for footwear and apparel manufacturing.

  "Everything else, we could kind of get off the shelf. It's the little details, it's the base material." [14:10]

• Collaborative Innovation: Partnering with startups like Natural Fiber Welding and Worthen, Eric highlights the importance of collaboration in developing biodegradable adhesives and plant-based polymers.

  "Once you start this little snowball on the mountaintop, it can quickly become an avalanche." [14:10]

4. Acquisition by Under Armour: Scaling Sustainability

The acquisition of Unless Collective by Under Armour marked a significant milestone in Eric's mission to scale sustainable practices within a major athletic brand.

• Dual Role Dynamics: While Eric continues to lead Under Armour's brand strategy, his primary focus remains on scaling the regenerative initiatives of Unless Collective.

  "I'm really here to scale the Unless dream." [10:20]

• Leveraging Under Armour’s Resources: The partnership allows access to extensive research and development capabilities, enabling the integration of plant-based solutions into Under Armour’s product lines.

  "We're in the process of trying to explore those opportunities." [16:00]

5. Market Evolution and Consumer Engagement

Eric underscores the necessity of aligning sustainable products with consumer expectations regarding taste, quality, and affordability to drive widespread adoption.

• Meeting Consumer Demands: The goal is to ensure that sustainable products do not require consumers to compromise on style or price, drawing parallels to the success of plant-based alternatives like Oatly.

  "They don't want to compromise their taste or the quality of the product for their values." [19:00]

• Strategic Scaling: Under Armour's support is pivotal in achieving the volume and distribution needed to make plant-based fashion economically competitive.

  "Step two is scale the brand and get the volumes to get the unit economics on par." [20:38]

6. Marketing Insights: The Role of AI and Authenticity

Shifting focus to marketing, Eric discusses the transformative impact of AI and the enduring importance of authenticity in brand storytelling.

• AI as Both Opportunity and Threat: AI offers unprecedented capabilities in automation, targeting, and content creation but falls short in delivering authentic, human-centric narratives that consumers crave.

  "I think how marketers tomorrow can use the tools of AI but the craft of authenticity." [36:00]

• Embracing User-Generated Content: Authenticity resonates more with today’s consumers than highly polished traditional marketing, emphasizing the need for relatable and genuine brand interactions.

  "People crave that. So how do you become the more authentic, true self on a regular basis?" [37:07]

7. Personal Reflections and Advice

Eric opens up about his personal background, the influence of his parents, and the philosophies that drive his professional decisions.

• Purpose-Driven Upbringing: Growing up with parents dedicated to service and innovation instilled in Eric a sense of purpose that now permeates his leadership and business endeavors.

  "I believe living your life with purpose and always keeping in mind legacy is really important." [29:18]

• Advice to His Younger Self: Eric advises embracing gradual progress over perfection, emphasizing the importance of taking consistent steps toward long-term goals.

  "Every day take a step. And if you do that, all of a sudden you look up and say, holy, look how far I came." [29:23]

8. Personal Interests and Alignment with Mission

Beyond his professional life, Eric shares his passion for surfing, drawing philosophical parallels between the sport and his commitment to regenerative fashion.

• Surfing as a Metaphor: The spiritual and natural elements of surfing reflect his approach to sustainability, emphasizing harmony with nature and the cyclical nature of life.

  "There’s something really spiritual about being in the water for me." [33:14]

Conclusion

Eric Litke's journey exemplifies the fusion of passion, purpose, and innovation in driving sustainable change within the fashion industry. Through his leadership at Under Armour and Unless Collective, Eric is not only addressing the pressing issue of plastic waste but also setting a precedent for how major brands can integrate regenerative practices at scale. His insights on marketing, particularly the balance between leveraging AI and maintaining authenticity, provide valuable takeaways for marketers aiming to navigate the evolving landscape.

For those interested in sustainable fashion and innovative marketing strategies, this episode offers an inspiring blueprint for effecting meaningful change.

Notable Quotes:

• "Zero wasted hours. So if I'm not doing something for myself, for my family, for my friends, for my community or for my world, I'm not doing it." – Eric Litke [02:17]

• "The phytoplanktons are responsible for every second breath we have." – Eric Litke [06:53]

• "If it's just a luxury item, if it's just something that only the very privileged can buy, then it's not going to scale." – Eric Litke [19:00]

• "Internal is the new external. People want to know behind the scenes." – Eric Litke [33:00]

• "The best way to predict the future is to craft it." – Eric Litke [36:00]

About the Podcast

Marketing Beyond with Alan B. Hart is a platform where conversations with leading chief marketing officers and business innovators unfold the future of marketing. This episode with Eric Litke offers a deep dive into sustainable innovation, brand strategy, and the integration of purpose-driven initiatives within major corporations.