On October 13-14, Luxe.CO was invited to attend major events in Shanghai hosted by premium specialist golf brand DESCENTE GOLF and sportswear brands Nike and Under Armour, gaining a firsthand look at how sports brands are strengthening their performance credentials and ties with core customers through high-calibre tournaments, in-person launches and other initiatives. International brands are also stepping up their “localisation” strategies, building local creative and design capabilities through in-house development and external collaborations to better meet the distinctive needs of the Chinese market. We also observed that sports brands’ focus on the women’s sports market has expanded beyond product development to building a culture around women’s sport.
DESCENTE GOLF
On October 13, premium specialist golf brand DESCENTE GOLF officially launched its “Winning Has Its Trajectory” Masters Week in Shanghai. Global brand ambassador Xander Schauffele attended the opening events at Shanghai Links Golf & Country Club.
Born in 1993, Schauffele is a leading American golfer currently ranked among the world’s top 10 male professionals. He has won 10 PGA Tour titles, two major championships and the men’s golf gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Under the theme “Winning Has Its Trajectory“, Schauffele shared insights from his professional victories with guests and brand members, demonstrating shots and analysing ball trajectories in an informative “masterclass”. He also held in-depth discussions with female professional golfers Shuying Li and Menghan Li about tournament preparation and competitive mindset. In the team chipping competition that followed, guests experienced the appeal of golf firsthand, exchanging shots and appreciating the daily practice and steady progress behind a champion’s achievements.
Following Schauffele’s “masterclass”, DESCENTE GOLF Masters Week will continue through the 2026 Buick LPGA Shanghai, held from October 15 to 18. This will mark DESCENTE GOLF’s fourth year partnering with the tournament, which will bring female professional golfers from countries and regions around the world to Shanghai’s Sheshan Golf Club.
Nike
On October 13, American sportswear brand Nike announced a new locally created collection, developed specifically for the Chinese market by its dedicated local product creation team. Beyond a new collection, the launch marks a new product creation capability that Nike has established in China, translating local consumer insights into products that bring together sport, culture and self-expression.
Cathy Sparks, Nike’s Vice President and General Manager of Greater China, said, “The locally created collection is rooted in Nike’s sporting DNA. We are bringing consumer insights closer to every stage of product creation, from design and development to production.
“We want to become part of young Chinese consumers’ lives, understand their evolving needs, expectations and aspirations, and use these insights to create products that truly belong here and better understand the consumers here.”
Nike’s new locally created collection began not with a single “Chinese element”, but with an understanding of how young people in China actually live.
The design team ventured beyond the studio to spend time with young people, joining running clubs, taking part in local art events, and attending trail races, community markets and music festivals. They also took to the streets to speak with people with distinctive personal styles. These firsthand observations showed the team that young Chinese consumers are unwilling to compromise on quality, functionality, aesthetics, or personal style. Clothing needs to look good and feel good, adapt to the different settings of daily life, and meet the need for self-expression.
Behind the collection, the Nike Sport Research Lab (NSRL), product testing and product development teams worked closely with the designers, while China’s advanced manufacturing capabilities offered advantages in efficiency and innovation. The team visited factories in different cities, working alongside manufacturing partners to drive innovation, repeatedly refining designs, testing materials, reviewing samples, and developing entirely new cuts. Their work included five new fabrics developed specifically for the Chinese market.
Under Armour
Following the announcement of their long-term creative partnership at Paris Fashion Week in June, Under Armour and Chinese designer Feng Chen Wang staged the first full presentation in China of their Rebel Daughter collaboration, UA x Feng Chen Wang, in Shanghai on October 14 under the theme “One of One. Never Alone.”
The event brought Under Armour together with China’s local creative talent, while signalling the brand’s move to bring sports technology and sporting expression into a broader global conversation around creativity and culture.
Rebel Daughter grew out of Under Armour and Feng Chen Wang’s shared understanding of contemporary female strength. This strength lies not only in speed, explosive power and competition in sport, but also in women’s independent choices to challenge convention and embrace change. They challenge the status quo by taking things apart and putting them back together, daring to train, play and break the rules. They need no labels, need not conform to established rules, and need not be like anyone else: difference can coexist with solidarity. They can stand out as individuals or come together, creating energy side by side.
The special Shanghai event, themed “One of One. Never Alone.“, further extended the spirit of Rebel Daughter. “WU”, the creative language running throughout the UA x Feng Chen Wang collection, took shape in two forms of physical expression that mirrored one another: martial arts, drawing on strength, speed, edge and protection; and dance, drawing on the fluidity, expansiveness, rhythm and freedom of contemporary dance. The live performance went beyond a clothing presentation, unfolding as a fluid interplay between martial arts and dance.
As the first complete collection from the partners’ long-term creative collaboration, UA x Feng Chen Wang spans footwear, apparel and accessories, with releases to follow in phases.
| Information source: Brand press releases
| Image Credit: Official brand images
| Editor: Luxeplace
