Warrior returns to reclaim lost turf

Last summer, soft drinks major PepsiCo teamed up with a number of young designers, including Percy Lau and Sankuanz for products like caps, skateboards, sunglasses and backpacks - the monikers of the younger generation.

But one product garnered more attention than others - a sneaker co-designed with Chinese shoemaker Warrior, a company that has been in existence for over 90 years.

It made one wonder as to why would Pepsi, which wanted to be seen as a youth icon, want to work with an old Chinese brand that nearly went bankrupt in 2000? The fact is, guochao, or in Chinese domestic fashion, is elbowing its way back to the spotlight.