Sports labels race to capture the fashion market

The sports sector is undergoing a quiet but significant identity shift, with brands increasingly borrowing from fashion’s playbook. Salomon’s ongoing “Road to the Future” initiative has brought designer Uma Wang on as a guest collaborator, alongside Chao Li, GG, Jaden Li, Joyce Bao, Karmuel Young, and other emerging designers reimagining its signature footwear. Fila has teamed up with We11done on its debut “Low Sugar Punk” capsule — 23 ready-to-wear and footwear pieces built around a “high-intellect sportswear” concept — pushing the brand’s expressive range and sharpening its appeal to younger consumers. Meanwhile, Alo Yoga is accelerating its fashion repositioning in China, appointing Jimmy Zhu as president for Greater China and North Asia. Zhu brings 18 years of luxury retail experience across Asia-Pacific, with stints at Giorgio Armani, Prada Group, and Givenchy. The brand has also been recruiting additional talent from LVMH, signaling an intent to import established luxury management expertise. Brand updates Adidas showcases Climacool platform in Shanghai On April 10, Adidas unveiled the “Climacool Future Museum” at Shanghai’s Power Station of Art, built around the concept “Born to Breathe.” The event served as the global debut of its Climacool cooling and ventilation platform, framing breathability not as a product feature but as a broader system spanning performance, lifestyle, and design. The presentation opened with a dance performance interpreting the act of respiration through movement. Olympic swimming champion Yu Yiting, track and field athletes Shi Yuhao, Wang Zhen, and Mo Jiadie, and Chinese women’s basketball captain Yang Shuyu joined student representatives from 12 universities in the Adidas University Sports Community in a series of “breathing” challenges that demonstrated the technology in motion. As athletes and models closed the show in futuristic sportswear looks, the event reinforced Climacool’s positioning in the ventilation category while signaling Adidas’ broader ambitions at the intersection of performance and style in China. On launches Squad Race in Beijing as 1st global stop On launched its global race series, Squad Race, on April 11, with Beijing serving as the inaugural stop — one of 20 cities across five continents connected through the initiative, which links approximately 1,200 running communities worldwide. In China, 80 teams and 320 runners competed in a four-person relay format on a looped ramp course with uphill and downhill segments. City winners will converge in Los Angeles in September to compete for the global title. The series extends On’s effort to connect local running communities with its broader global network. Hoka debuts its 1st Fly Station at Mogan Mountain by UTMB As title sponsor of the UTMB World Series, Hoka took a central role in the Mogan Mountain Trail by UTMB in Zhejiang’s Deqing County, with several of its elite athletes competing in the race. Beyond race day, the brand launched the H-30x trail elite training camp ahead of the event, bringing together 30 advanced amateur runners and professional coaches for structured preparation — including fitness testing, small-group coaching, and on-terrain simulation. Its Fly Station along the Mogan Mountain course has also been open year-round since March 28, providing energy replenishment, emergency supplies, and gear support, extending Hoka’s presence from race infrastructure into everyday trail use. Atrc’teryx drops Rhoam Mountain cycling capsule Arc’teryx has launched “Rhoam,” its first equipment line developed specifically for mountain biking. Drawing on more than 35 years of mountain sport R&D, the capsule collection was designed by an in-house female team with extensive cycling experience and field-tested on trails in British Columbia’s North Shore. The line addresses gaps in existing cycling gear — protection, mobility, and all-weather adaptability — through a full re-engineering of pattern cutting, fabric selection, and functional detailing. The launch represents a meaningful category expansion for Arc’teryx, deepening its relevance among core outdoor users beyond its established hiking and climbing base. The North Face to open footwear concept store in Osaka The North Face will open its first global footwear concept store on April 25 at the Quartz complex in Osaka’s Shinsaibashi district. The store will feature a 3D foot-scanning system developed by Sidas, offering personalized shoe recommendations based on foot data, alongside Vibram outsole replacement services and exclusive sock releases — extending the retail experience from initial fit into ongoing product maintenance. Saucony supports Suzhou Creek half marathon On March 28, Saucony served as an official partner of the 2026 Shanghai Suzhou Creek Half Marathon, where elite athletes Gao Chengliang and Zhao Na took the Chinese men’s and women’s titles, respectively. The brand supported the event with on-course aid stations, pre-race pacer training camps, and post-race medal engraving — deploying its Endorphin Pro 5, a carbon-plate racing shoe with a dual-layer midsole, as its competition model. The activation extends Saucony’s push to build performance credibility through race presence and community engagement in China. Allbirds unveils pop-up at MixC World Shenzhen Allbirds has opened a pop-up at MixC World in Shenzhen, running through the end of May. Titled the “Urban Strolling Space,” the installation centers on sustainable living, with a “Breathing Tree Hall” concept combining natural materials and interactive elements. It spotlights core styles including the Tree Runner — made with eucalyptus fiber uppers and sugarcane-based midsoles — alongside exclusive colorways developed for the local market. Nike ACG signs Yao Miao to All Conditions Racing Department Nike ACG has signed elite trail runner Yao Miao to its All Conditions Racing Department (ACRD). The first Asian athlete to claim a “triple crown” in a world-class trail running circuit, Yao currently ranks No. 1 globally in the ITRA women's 50km category. Beyond race support, the partnership will cover training systems and product testing, and ties into Nike’s “Let’s Run” initiative to encourage more girls into running. The signing deepens ACG’s engagement in China's trail running scene as it looks to build credibility in the outdoor segment.

Sports labels race to capture the fashion market

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag

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Sports labels race to capture the fashion market

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag