On September 27, at the second International Sports Fashion Conference held in Xiamen, Wang Qiong, Senior Vice President of Luxe.CO and Director of Luxe.CO Intelligence, was invited to interpret the newly released “Sports and Outdoor Brand Power Rankings” by Luxe.CO. This was the first offline release of this unique brand ranking.
The distinctive ranking is a reflection of Luxe.CO and Luxe.CO Intelligence‘s long-term dedication to the sports and outdoor sector, as well as their comprehensive and systematic research. By showcasing top cases of the most active brands in the Chinese Mainland’s sports and outdoor market for the Spring/Summer 2024 season, the ranking not only objectively presents the latest trends in industry development but also provides best practices for professionals in related fields.
Over the past decade, Luxe.CO and Luxe.CO Intelligence have closely followed and deeply researched global brands, especially luxury and sports outdoor brands, two of the most dynamic sectors.
Luxe.CO has published the “Luxury Brands in China Power Rankings” for four consecutive years, which has attracted increasing attention from industry executives and professionals. This marks the first release of the “Sports and Outdoors Brand Power Rankings” by Luxe.CO. At the conference, Wang Qiong compared the trends reflected in the Luxury Brands in China Power Ranking and the Sports and Outdoors Brand Power Rankings, analyzed their connections, and discussed insights on building brand strength.
In recent years, both domestic and international sports outdoor brands have experienced continuous rises and falls — from the establishment and growth of niche emerging brands to the performance and strategic evolution of leading companies; from global investment and merger activities to the commercial layout and marketing initiatives of major brands in the Chinese market.
As more new brands emerge and greater investments are made, the “sports outdoor” sector has become a top priority for Luxe.CO’s focus and research.
The first-ever Sports and Outdoors Brand Power Rankings (Spring/Summer 2024) by Luxe.CO highlights two key dimensions of brand investment: retail stores and marketing communication, thus selecting the top sports outdoor brands with the most “vitality” in the Chinese market today.
The ranking is based on Luxe.CO Intelligence’s latest research from February to August 2024, which evaluated 2,189 store and marketing activities across 290 sports outdoor brands.
The brands that ranked as the top in store vitality are:
ANTA, ASICS, FILA, HOKA, and SKECHERS.
The brands that ranked as the top in marketing vitality are:
Arc’teryx, Lululemon, Nike, New Balance, and KAILAS.
Looking ahead, the competition in the Chinese sports outdoor market will become more intense as more brands enter the market.
As brand concentration becomes more dispersed and the focus on niche segments continues to sharpen, any brand aiming to maintain and enhance its market position will need to double down on investment and innovation, with even the industry leaders unable to relax.
In this context, building brand strength will undoubtedly become the key cornerstone for every sports outdoor brand to enhance its differentiated competitiveness and ensure sustainable and healthy long-term development. This is also the focal point of Luxe.CO’s “Sports and Outdoors Brand Power Rankings.”
Download the Active Outdoor Sports Brand Ranking Spring/Summer 2024 Report
In February 2025, we will also release the Sports and Outdoors Brand Power Rankings (Autumn/Winter 2024). We welcome all sports outdoor brands to share their best practices with us!
About the International Sports Fashion Conference and Xiamen International Fashion Week
In 2023, Xiamen International Fashion Week teamed up with the “China Fashion Forum,” founded by the China National Garment Association in 1996, to jointly create the high-profile IP event in the sports fashion field — the “International Sports Fashion Conference.” This year, from September 27 to 28, the second International Sports Fashion Conference continued under the theme of “New Quality Leap, Diverse Coexistence,” exploring the future development trends of the sports fashion industry.
Other speakers at this year’s conference included Liu Wanfeng, Senior Product Director of Skechers Product Center; Huang Ye, Brand Director of Toread Group; Jiang Zhilong, Design Director of Erke; Keith Cheng, General Manager of Umbro Greater China; Zhao Chao, Vice Dean of the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University, Director of the Tsinghua-Anta Sports Fashion Joint Research Center, and Vice President of the International Council of Design (ico-D); and Eric Liu, Vice President of the China National Garment Association and Founder & CEO of Style3D.
Founded in 2015, Xiamen International Fashion Week is an important urban event hosted by the Xiamen International Fashion Week Organizing Committee, focusing on original design, sports fashion, trendy consumption, and trend releases. It aims to become a window showcasing Xiamen’s diverse and vibrant fashion landscape to the world.
This year marks the tenth successful year of Xiamen International Fashion Week, continuing its core positioning of supporting original design and sports fashion, with the theme of “Fashion Egret Island, Trendy Shopping in Xiamen,” fully showcasing new products, new business models, and new trends.
| Image Credit: Xiamen International Fashion Week, Luxe.CO Intelligence
| Editor: Elisa
