Since August, a host of domestic and international sports and outdoor apparel brands have announced major developments in the Chinese market, all setting their sights on the premium women’s segment:
- NikeSKIMS, the women’s activewear brand jointly launched by Nike and SKIMS, the shapewear brand founded by American reality TV star Kim Kardashian, has announced that its first store in China will open in Shanghai;
- Los Angeles-based activewear brand Alo Yoga, widely regarded as one of lululemon’s strongest challengers, has opened its flagship store on Tmall, making its China debut online;
- Maia Active, the yoga apparel brand under Anta Group, has partnered with premium fitness brand PURE to create the MAIA ACTIVE Fitness Club by PURE, while accelerating the expansion of its retail network;
- Peak Performance, the Swedish outdoor brand under Amer Sports, has named supermodel Liu Wen as its first-ever brand ambassador;
- Premium active lifestyle brand Sweaty Betty, often dubbed the “British lululemon”, has returned to China’s offline retail market…
Luxe.CO has observed that, as competition in the sports and outdoor market grows increasingly intense, brands are entering a new phase in their efforts to engage female consumers. Beyond product innovation and community building, brand positioning is becoming more individualised, while brand image and communications are becoming more multidimensional and dynamic. The settings and experiences offered to consumers are also being comprehensively refreshed to align more closely with the real lifestyles of contemporary women, as brands seek to establish genuine dialogue and resonance with them.
Recently, Nike announced via its official social media accounts that the first NikeSKIMS store in China will open this autumn. Hoardings have already gone up at its location in HKRI Taikoo Hui, Shanghai, while preparations for the brand’s official online channels are also underway.
In terms of location, NikeSKIMS will be situated next to “The Louis”, the landmark space created by French luxury house Louis Vuitton, on the former site of Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen’s global flagship store. If the NikeSKIMS location is a permanent store, it could become the brand’s first global flagship.
Sweaty Betty’s latest store has opened at PRISMA New Bund in Shanghai. The new commercial landmark in Pudong also houses premium sports and outdoor brands including Helly Hansen, HEAD and mont-bell on its L1 floor.
Earlier, in April, Sweaty Betty opened its first branded concept pop-up store in the Chinese Mainland at Shanghai’s Jing An Kerry Centre, officially marking its return to the Chinese market.
Alo Yoga has now opened its official flagship store on Tmall. According to Tmall data, at 00:30 on 12 August, when final payments opened for pre-orders at Alo’s official Tmall flagship store, gross merchandise value exceeded RMB 10 million (approximately USD 1.4 million) within just one minute, setting a new opening-day sales record for a new brand in Tmall’s sports and outdoor category.
Corporate registration records show that, in addition to its China headquarters in Shanghai, Alo has registered branch companies in Beijing, Hangzhou and Shenzhen. The brand has also confirmed that it will open at Hubin Intime in77 in Hangzhou, although the location of its first store in the Chinese Mainland has yet to be determined.
Maia Active, meanwhile, is moving beyond the conventional apparel retail model to create a one-stop sports destination for women that combines professional fitness with lifestyle experiences. Most recently, the brand partnered with premium Asian health and wellness brand PURE to launch MAIA ACTIVE Fitness Club by PURE at FILA HOUSE Shanghai. The hybrid sports and lifestyle space brings together professional training, including strength and cardio workouts, yoga, Pilates, and group classes, while also offering wellness, recovery, and community experiences. It is expected to officially open in November 2026.
Peak Performance has announced supermodel Liu Wen as the first global brand ambassador in its history. On 26 August, the brand unveiled its “Paths Drawn from Within” pop-up space at Wushang MALL in Wuhan. Alongside communicating the brand’s philosophy, the event featured an in-depth conversation between Liu Wen, freeski athlete Coach Xiaohao, and lifestyle blogger Jessica Du, centred on the themes of “drawing colour, drawing paths and drawing from within”. Through the three dimensions of aesthetic style, outdoor exploration and inner conviction, they interpreted the diverse forms of self-expression embraced by contemporary women.
Direct Retail First, With Dedicated Local Teams Driving Growth
Luxe.CO has observed that all three brands that have recently entered, or are preparing to enter, the Chinese market have adopted a direct retail model.
Sweaty Betty was acquired by brand management company Wolverine Worldwide in 2023. The brand had previously entered the Chinese market in 2021 and opened an online store on Tmall. However, following weaker-than-expected growth in China, its China operations were sold to Baozun Group, which subsequently assumed full responsibility for managing the business in the market.
In the Chinese market, NikeSKIMS can draw on Nike’s deep foundations built over many years. Notably, ahead of the announcement of NikeSKIMS’ China launch, Nike comprehensively scaled back third-party online sales and shifted towards a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model. Together with its earlier push behind outdoor brand ACG, these moves have been viewed as signals of Nike’s premiumisation strategy in the Chinese market.
Before entering China, Alo Yoga had already established a local team and set up its China headquarters in Shanghai, with several senior executives bringing extensive experience from the luxury industry:
President of China and North Asia Jimmy Zhu previously served as General Manager of Greater China for LVMH-owned Givenchy; Head of Human Resources Andrew Nip previously worked at LVMH’s headquarters in France as Global Talent Development and HR Project Lead for its Fashion Group; while Retail Director Jasmine Qiu previously held roles at brands including LVMH-owned Rimowa and Hogan, part of Tod’s Group.
Peak Performance and Maia Active, meanwhile, are backed by Chinese sportswear giant Anta Group. Leveraging the group’s supply chain, distribution network and deep understanding of local consumers, the two brands are mounting strong competition in the premium women’s activewear and aesthetic outdoor segments.
As women’s understanding of and expectations for sports consumption continue to evolve, the competitive dynamics of China’s premium activewear sector are gradually being reshaped.
Competition that once centred primarily on products, including fabrics, cuts and functionality, is now shifting comprehensively towards a broader contest encompassing brand identity, omnichannel operations, consumer community ecosystems and lifestyle empowerment. As women’s sports consumption in China continues to upgrade, the integration of sports into everyday life, premiumisation, increasingly specialised usage scenarios and stronger aesthetic appeal are emerging as key trends. The industry is entering a window of structural upgrading, creating new growth opportunities for brands across the market.
Evolving Product Thinking: From Sporting Essentials to Lifestyle Expression
The three new entrants share three highly consistent core characteristics:
- First, they focus precisely on the dedicated women’s segment, moving away from unisex design and developing their entire product ranges around women’s body shapes and needs;
- Second, they break down the boundaries of conventional sporting occasions, creating products that transition seamlessly across exercise, commuting, leisure and social settings;
- Third, they are positioned at the premium end of the market, targeting mid-to-high-end consumers by combining aesthetics with functionality.
In terms of pricing, products from NikeSKIMS, Alo Yoga and Sweaty Betty are generally positioned within a similar range to lululemon, mostly between RMB 400 and RMB 1,500 (approximately USD 56-210).
Launched in 2025, NikeSKIMS targets “female athletes around the world”, with products spanning training apparel, footwear and accessories. The brand combines Nike’s globally leading expertise in cutting-edge innovation, sports science and athlete insights with SKIMS’ signature aesthetic. Its core proposition centres on inclusivity across body types, powerful sculpting functionality, and versatility across both sport and everyday life.
Sweaty Betty was founded in 1998 by husband-and-wife team Tamara Hill-Norton and Simon Hill-Norton. The idea for the brand originated from Tamara Hill-Norton’s difficulty in finding clothing suited to women who loved exercise. Known for its flattering British tailoring, bold prints and high-performance fabrics, the brand caters to a range of activities including yoga, running and training, combining sculpting support with fashion-forward aesthetics.
Founded in Los Angeles in 2007, Alo Yoga initially specialised in high-quality designer yoga apparel and essential yoga accessories such as mats. Its core strengths lie in flattering cuts, minimalist aesthetics and versatility across a wide range of light-exercise scenarios. It has since gradually expanded into broader athleisure and lifestyle categories, including the Alo Glow System beauty line and Alo Stackable Wellness System nutritional supplements.
Founded in Shanghai in 2016, Maia Active positioned itself from the outset as an activewear brand designed specifically for Asian women’s body shapes, with product development closely centred on the proportions, exercise habits and dressing preferences of women in China. Targeting premium female fitness consumers, the brand previously partnered with PURE to launch the “PURE by MAIA ACTIVE” professional yoga collection. Designed around the two distinct scenarios of power yoga and meditative yoga, the collection respectively uses Lycra® Adaptiv fabric with double elasticity and a lyocell-silk blend, balancing athletic support with a relaxed, fluid drape.
Peak Performance, meanwhile, has carved out a differentiated route in aesthetic outdoorwear, seeking a balance between high-performance outdoor protection and restrained Scandinavian colour aesthetics. The brand’s latest Vislight Gore-Tex C-Knit “colour shell” hardshell jacket features highly distinctive colour-blocking while meeting the dual demands of protection in extreme mountain environments and everyday urban wear, clearly targeting the diverse needs of urban women across light hiking, urban outdoor activities and skiing.
Differentiated Community Engagement + High-Quality UGC
Building differentiated, localised communities for female consumers and generating high-quality UGC are currently key priorities for women’s activewear brands.
Leveraging Kim Kardashian’s global influence and Nike’s long-established roster of professional female athletes, NikeSKIMS has continued to initiate conversations around body inclusivity in overseas markets, encouraging consumers of different body types to share photos of themselves wearing its products. The brand regularly reposts user-generated content on its official channels, creating an emotional community where “ordinary people can be seen too”.
At the heart of NikeSKIMS’ community narrative are body positivity and the rejection of prescribed body standards. The brand places less emphasis on regularly scheduled offline fitness classes and relies less on physical activities organised around yoga studios or running clubs. Instead, its community is primarily centred on image and short-video platforms, with content focusing on styling inspiration, first-hand fit reviews and early access to new product launches. At present, the brand is also organising small-scale offline previews and new-product fitting events, cultivating a highly buzzworthy community with strong social currency. Its community strategy is therefore closer to that of a fashion and trend-led community than a traditional sports community.
In overseas markets, Alo Yoga has long used its proprietary online class platform Alo Moves to build a library of yoga and meditation resources, while operating its own Alo Studios yoga spaces offline. Upon entering the Chinese market, the brand adopted a “community first, stores later” strategy, launching the “ALO Community” and an eight-week programme of free offline activities in Shanghai spanning lifestyle scenarios including running, urban walks and outdoor yoga. Each event is limited to around 30-50 participants, with consumers able to reserve places via a WeChat Mini Program. At present, all relevant sessions are shown as fully booked.
Alo’s community primarily attracts young women who enjoy light exercise and pursue a lifestyle centred on aesthetics. The brand frequently collaborates with premium hotels, fragrance brands and health and wellness brands to create cross-sector events. Its community activities are also integrated with membership benefits, allowing participants in offline events to accumulate privileges and gain priority access to new-product experiences.
Sweaty Betty focuses its community activities on a diverse range of cardio and fitness training, including urban night runs, outdoor running groups, strength circuits and functional training classes, catering to enthusiasts across running, fitness and Pilates. Since returning to the Chinese market, the brand has continued to organise urban running events and strength-training camps in Shanghai, often partnering with local running communities and boutique fitness studios.
The brand’s offline activities place little emphasis on competitive performance, instead encouraging women to support and motivate one another. Its community operations are closely integrated with offline pop-up spaces and stores, while its Insider membership programme provides members with privileges such as event invitations and early access to new launches. Its content strategy focuses on authentic experiences throughout the exercise journey.
Maia Active has long operated its proprietary community platform, “MAIA FUN CLUB”, similarly centred on the idea of a “Sisterhood”. By de-emphasising competitive pressure, the brand turns exercise into an opportunity for women to socialise and spend relaxed time together. Its community activities extend beyond the gym to include sunset yoga, stand-up paddleboard yoga, urban hiking, frisbee picnics and Girl’s Talk salons centred on women’s topics. These activities are regularly held at stores across China, with more than 300 offline events taking place each year.
Its latest partnership with PURE to create a 2,000-square-metre hybrid sports and lifestyle space at FILA HOUSE Shanghai is designed to integrate MAIA FUN CLUB with PURE’s premium membership benefits, bringing together professional group classes, sports recovery and wellness experiences, and women’s community salons. The initiative marks Maia Active’s formal evolution from a “product provider” into a women’s active lifestyle platform, creating a localised competitive moat that differentiates it from overseas brands.
Peak Performance, meanwhile, leverages its PP CLUB community ecosystem to translate Nordic freeskiing culture into a form of self-expression that resonates with urban women in China. Rather than limiting itself to the skiing community, the brand also reaches consumers interested in urban outdoor activities and aesthetic lifestyles. In addition to the guest discussions held at its “Paths Drawn from Within” pop-up space in Wuhan, the brand has rolled out its “Colour in Motion” series of offline community events at stores across China, organising experiences including women’s cycling, rock climbing and urban-to-nature excursions. Online, it uses its WeChat Mini Program to launch limited-edition products and recruit community members, bringing together gear, physical spaces and shared values to strengthen its position in the premium women’s outdoor segment.
Notably, the brand’s latest Wuhan store also features China’s first ÅreLab, communicating the Nordic sustainable outdoor philosophy of repairing gear and extending product lifecycles. The initiative allows the brand to promote a long-term approach to sustainability within its community, further enriching the depth of its brand values.
｜Image Credit: Brands’ official social media accounts
｜Editor: Luxeplace
