The last decade in the mobile industry has been marked by the great rise of China. In the automotive industry, we are starting to see Chinese manufacturers reaching Western markets. And in popular racing, we’re starting to see signs of what could be the next industry China shakes up: running shoes.

Although they are not the majority, it has become common to see Chinese branded shoes on various runners in recent years. A quiet rise will go further, which there is reason to think about.

Because this is important. After decades in which Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Asics or Puma were leaders in global sportswear (all American, German or Japanese brands), the world’s factory is beginning to assert its existence with products that compete not only on price: they aim for the highest range, they go for prestige .

who who. Among Chinese running shoe brands, there are examples such as:

• Anta Sports
• Dice
• xtep
• 361°
• qiaodan

The former is currently worth more than historic sportswear brands like Asics and Puma, or Japanese Shimano brands dedicated to cycling parts. And it needs to grow “only” 30% to catch up with Adidas.

Not just cheap sneakers. While it is easy to think that we are faced with the phenomenon of manufacturers offering shoes similar to traditional Western manufacturers at a more affordable price, this is not the case. Many Chinese brands are directly aiming for innovation in sneakers.

Li-Ning, a brand we know in Spain for its sports sponsorships of Espanyol more than a decade ago or Spain at the Beijing Olympic Games, showed a prototype of a competition shoe with a very striking appearance a few months ago. even heavier weight: 85 grams. That’s well below lighter models from Nike, Adidas or Asics, which pursue ridiculously low weights to entice elite runners.

They also dared a concept that broke the mold even further: Another way to reduce weight and concentrate the reaction in the first half of the sole, dispensing with the heel.

Image: Li-Ning.

If there is a shoe that becomes a star in long-distance races, it is the Nike Alphafly 3, the flying model that comes first in every marathon. Qiaodan has released a model that competes directly with it, with a carbon plate (the runner’s holy grail) and a dual-density midsole.

Image: Nike, Qiaodan, Xataka.

Shopping, shopping, shopping. Anta and Xtep followed similar paths: they listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange and acquired other companies to strengthen their global presence with increased capital. Multi-brand strategy. For example, Anta acquired Amer (Finland) and Fila (Italy).

Image: Xataka.

In their favor, the number of popular runners in China has increased rapidly in recent years, so they have more and more data to innovate in the design and performance of shoes. As the middle class expands and interest in a healthy lifestyle increases, the components of growth are also increasing rapidly.

appellation of origin. Most of these brands operate in Fujian province, near the city of Jinjiang, which has been China’s sneaker capital for more than two decades. Nike and Adidas were founded there in the eighties to produce sports shoes, and these brands learned a lot from there.

In fact, according to Xtep’s CEO Ding Shuipo, he was one of the workers in these factories. South China Morning Post. Today he leads a company with a market value of close to $2 billion. The pattern is common. One-third of Jinjiang’s population lives on shoes.

And now this. Strong Chinese nationalism may be the first ally to give these manufacturers the capital they need to continue growing, and who knows if they will become a tradition on the tarmac of popular races.

It seemed like a distant thing fifteen years ago in cell phones or five years ago in cars, but it happened. If history repeats itself in sneakers as availability and supply increases, traditional manufacturers have reason to worry.

Featured image | via Xataka Midjourney

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