Ciele, Nordisk, Soar: Niche sports labels enter China

What happened Danish outdoor label Nordisk is launching in China through a joint venture with South Korea’s K2 Group and Chinese investment firm Black Ant Capital, blending Scandinavian design with local market expertise. The new venture plans to open Nordisk stores this year, offering a full product range tailored to China’s growing outdoor lifestyle segment. Meanwhile, Italian sportswear brand Hydrogen is entering China via a strategic partnership with BranDNA and Creas F&C Group, with support from Japan’s Mitsui Fashion. Known for its bold luxury-performance blend, Hydrogen will debut its first localized China collection in 2026. China’s largest sportswear retailer, Topsports, is also diversifying. It has secured exclusive partnerships with Canadian running brand Ciele Athletics, British performance label Soar, and Norwegian outdoor gear maker Norrøna. Each partnership is tailored to cater China’s growing demand for functional, fashion-forward outdoor and sports offerings. The Jing Take China’s outdoor and sportswear market is entering a new era of niche diversification, powered by rising consumer demand, younger generations’ disposable income, and a paradigm shift toward wellness and greater quality of life. A wave of niche and premium international brands such as Ciele, Nordisk, Hydrogen and the like are entering the Chinese market to capitalize on this momentum. The country has seen a host of mainstream sports and outdoor apparel competitors grow and expand in the nation despite China’s economic malaise. Finland-based Amer Sports (owned by China’s Anta Group) has seen its valuation rise to $21 billion, nearly three times its initial market cap since 2024, reports Bloomberg. Largely due to sales in China, Amer, which owns brands like Arc’teryx, Salomon and Wilson, has outperformed competitors such as On Holding and Deckers (the parent company of Hoka), according to press. “We’re seeing explosive growth in China’s outdoor and sporting goods market, with online sales growing by 20% in 2024,” said Jacob Cooke, CEO and founder of Beijing-based platform WPIC Marketing and Technologies. “That expansion is being driven by two converging forces: a growing national focus on health and wellness, and a cultural shift toward outdoor leisure as a lifestyle statement.” According to ChinaIRN, the country’s outdoor equipment market grew from 67.5 billion RMB ($9.21 billion) in 2019 to 87.2 billion RMB in 2023, and is forecast to reach 100 billion RMB ($13.97 billion) by 2028. Annual per capita spending on outdoor products now ranges between 2,000 RMB and 5,000 RMB ($297 to $698). “These [sports] categories are benefiting from both performance and fashion demand,” WPIC Marketing and Technologies CEO Cooke added. “As more Chinese people embrace sports and fitness, there’s a parallel rise in urban consumers adopting outdoor apparel as a daily fashion statement. Social platforms like Xiaohongshu are fueling this shift by making the outdoor aesthetic aspirational.” In this evolving market, niche brands including Nordisk and Ciele offer identity as well as utility, to a new generation of consumers who value individuality, community, and global cultural relevance as much as performance and personal bests. Additional research by William Zhou The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

Sectors

Insights

Company

Ciele, Nordisk, Soar: Niche sports labels enter China