Luxe.CO has observed that some long-established international sports and outdoor brands, which entered the Chinese market relatively early, are now accelerating their pace of renewal and upgrading.
These brands are either making a comeback with a completely new image or launching stores with a higher positioning. Examples include the first store in the Chinese Mainland of the fully revamped American golf apparel heritage brand Munsingwear, and the first high-end, full-category new-concept store in the Asia-Pacific region of American outdoor heritage brand The North Face.
At the same time, more niche overseas brands are entering the Chinese market, such as American outdoor backpack brand Osprey and Japanese golf apparel brand Mark & Lona, both of which recently opened their first stores in the Chinese Mainland.
Munsingwear
— First Store in the Chinese Mainland after a Full Revamp
A year ago, Chinese menswear group LILANZ and Japan’s Descente Group announced the establishment of a joint venture to develop the business of American golf brand Munsingwear in the Chinese market.
Recently, the fully revamped Munsingwear opened its first store in the Chinese Mainland for trial operation, located on K Avenue, 1F, Chengdu SKP.
Munsingwear has a history of more than 130 years. Its predecessor was the Northwestern Knitting Company, founded in 1866 by Frank Page and Edward Tuttle from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In 1955, Munsingwear launched the world’s first knitted golf shirt and introduced the now world-famous penguin logo (nicknamed “Peter”). The company subsequently focused its business on professional golf apparel, committed to combining functionality with comfort. In the 1960s, Munsingwear became one of the world’s best-selling golf apparel brands, with legendary figures such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Arnold Palmer, and Clint Eastwood among its fans.
Munsingwear began selling in the Chinese Mainland as early as 1997, operated by Shanghai Descente Commercial Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Japan’s Descente Group. The newly established Chinese joint venture, led by LILANZ, plans to invest RMB 150 million (USD 20.6 million).
In early August this year, Munsingwear’s new store made its debut at Chengdu SKP. The store’s façade, featuring the endearing penguin Peter logo, attracted both new and long-time customers. The interior design and product displays are refined and thoughtfully executed, with understated yet distinctive wall designs paying tribute to the unique honeycomb texture of golf balls. The brand’s timeless bestsellers evoke a sense of familiarity for loyal customers, while the newly launched 2025 Fall/Winter “The Wonderland” collection—spanning apparel, footwear, and accessories—skillfully fuses professional golf functionality with a fashionable aesthetic. Penguin elements scattered throughout the store add a playful touch to the brand’s identity.
The North Face
— First High-End, Full-Category New-Concept Store in the Asia-Pacific Region
In July, The North Face opened its first high-end, full-category new-concept store in the Asia-Pacific region at Zhengdong MixC in Zhengzhou.
According to the brand, this represents an “upgraded retail strategy for the Asian market.”
The store concept centers on immersive scene-based consumer experiences, fully presenting a diverse product matrix, including the outdoor sports and lifestyle series, the Summit Series that embodies the brand’s cutting-edge outdoor technology, and the Urban Exploration (UE) series. The aim is to create a new type of retail space integrating retail, experience, and community interaction.
The store design takes “modern outdoor lifestyle” as its core, drawing inspiration from the brand’s iconic geodesic dome tent symbolizing the spirit of exploration, and combining it with a “Nature to Simplicity” spatial design philosophy. The store is divided into four zones—Summit Series, Outdoor Sports, Outdoor Lifestyle, and Urban Exploration—offering consumers a complete range of gear that blends high outdoor performance with functional design aesthetics. The thoughtfully planned exploration path caters to a variety of needs, from mountain peaks to urban settings.
At the core of the space is the brand’s signature dome tent structure, incorporating highly recognizable outdoor elements to bring the brand spirit “Never Stop Exploring” to life.
In addition, the specially designed dome-style fitting rooms feature modular structures that can flexibly adapt to different scene requirements.
Dong Li, Vice President and General Manager of The North Face Asia Pacific, said: “The North Face places great importance on continually refining and iterating the retail store experience, upgrading offline stores from ‘sales spaces’ to ‘experience and content spaces’.”
Looking ahead, The North Face plans to open new-concept stores in core commercial areas such as Shanghai Hopson One and Chongqing MixC, and to revamp existing stores such as Shanghai Grand Gateway Plaza and Beijing IKEA Livat Mall. By the end of 2025, the number of stores in the Chinese Mainland upgraded to the new concept is expected to reach 30.
OSPREY
— First Brand-Dedicated Store in the Chinese Mainland
American outdoor backpack brand Osprey—nicknamed “Little Eagle Backpack” by Chinese outdoor enthusiasts—is renowned for combining comfort and functionality.
Previously, Osprey products in the Chinese Mainland were only available at multi-brand outdoor retail stores. In April this year, Osprey began trial operations of a store in Shanghai Pudong Kerry Parkside; in June, Osprey officially opened its first brand-dedicated store in the Chinese Mainland at Hubin In77 in Hangzhou.
Founded in 1974 by Mike Pfotenhauer in Santa Cruz, California, Osprey traces its roots back to when a 16-year-old Pfotenhauer crafted his first backpack and opened a small shop in front of his rented home to hand-make backpacks for traveling backpackers. Pfotenhauer remains the brand’s chief designer to this day.
The brand name and logo—a fish eagle—were inspired by a moment when Pfotenhauer saw an osprey catching prey during a hike.
“Lightweight” and “carrying systems” have become highly sought-after design concepts in the outdoor sector in recent years, yet Osprey was already applying them extensively across its products in the 1970s. Its lightest model, the Daylite Sling urban outdoor backpack, weighs only 0.23 kg, while its heaviest heavy-load 40L pack weighs around 2.5 kg.
Marking its 50th anniversary, Osprey has redefined its brand proposition as “Nature In, Emotion Out.” The brand promotes every step into nature as a conversation and a reset for the soul, advocating a healthy, balanced urban-outdoor lifestyle and making “dialogue with nature” an essential emotional outlet and journey of mental and physical renewal for modern people.
Osprey’s first brand-dedicated store in the Chinese Mainland is designed around the founder’s spiritual home—”Mike’s House”—and interprets the brand DNA through four themed scenes: “Dialogue Between Mountains and Home,” “Recreation of the Garage Innovation Spirit,” “Threshold of the Mountain Journey,” and “Closing the Loop Between Past and Future.”
Currently, Osprey’s product lines cover outdoor, urban, cycling, children’s, and travel series, as well as accessories, with usage scenarios ranging from hiking, camping, trekking, mountaineering, and trail running to cycling, daily city use, and commuting.
MARK & LONA
— First Store in the Chinese Mainland
Japanese golf apparel brand Mark & Lona has opened its first store in the Chinese Mainland at China World Mall in Beijing.
Mark & Lona was originally founded in Los Angeles in 2008 by Tomoaki Matsumura, who serves as the brand’s Creative Director. In his designs, Matsumura blends various fashion influences, including preppy, punk, and nautical styles, breaking away from traditional perceptions of golf apparel.
Positioned as a “luxury golf-oriented brand,” Mark & Lona uses high-quality materials and high-functionality, multi-scenario designs to meet the needs of diverse wearing occasions—from the golf course to the street, and even in fashion styling. The product range spans men’s and women’s golf apparel, footwear, accessories, as well as golf bags and gloves.
Since 2018, Japanese celebrity Takuya Kimura has served as the brand’s global ambassador.
The first Mark & Lona store in the Chinese Mainland takes the minimalist aesthetic of its Japanese stores as a foundation and draws inspiration from the golf course, dividing the space into two themed areas: the Green Zone and the Fairway Zone.
The Green Zone, paved with green terrazzo, showcases the refined elegance of the “Code” series, while the Fairway Zone, crafted with dark coarse-textured terrazzo, echoes the casual style of the “Universal” series. Artistic golf ball motifs embedded in the floor further reinforce the brand’s identity.
| Image Credit: Official press releases from Osprey and The North Face; Munsingwear; Mark & Lona Beijing China World Mall Xiaohongshu account
| Editor: LeZhi, Maier
