Chinese designs shine in footwear market

Despite a late start, local shoe designers are getting more support and recognition from the industry and the rise of Chinese sneaker style is just a matter of time, market insiders said.

These days, 90 percent of the shoes in a sneaker collection shop are foreign brands. But that is going to change as sneakers from Chinese brands have been more frequently added to store shelves, garnering consumer attention.

The Wudao series from Li-Ning is a shining instance. Li-Ning's original design has made quite a splash in the sneaker business in recent years.

In fact, this February, the brand wowed Manhattan during the fashion week, and Sun Mingxu is very pleased, having already put in 12 post-university years at Li-Ning. As a senior shoe designer, he has seen the industry progress over the years.

"The overall environment for Chinese sportswear designers is quite good," Sun said. "Nowadays, most of the brands have realized that original design is crucial and they are respectful toward the designers."

He said to become a good designer, support from forward-looking companies is crucial.

"You can ask around in the industry, and they will tell you that Li-Ning is the cradle of designers," he said. "The company provides two crucial supports for designers - for young designers, Li-Ning gives them the chance to turn their designs into products; and for senior ones, Li-Ning provides them the path to a bigger and wider stage, such as bringing the products to the international fashion show."

He said when he graduated, there was no such major course as sneaker design in the university.

"It was a bunch of people majoring in things like molding," he said. "The number of shoe designers was no more than 80 in the country."

But now, as the industry grows, more designers, from graphic artists to product designers, have started to gather around and contributed toward Chinese original design.

Now, it is easy to find highly educated young designers in the jobs market, Sun said. A career in shoe design or sportswear design can be very rewarding.

"After Li-Ning's first show at the New York fashion week in February 2018, its stock price rose more than 10 percent. The brand's quest for global play has ignited the imagination of the Chinese consumers," said Wu Yannian, assistant professor at Jinan University.

"This February, Li-Ning released its fall and winter collection for 2019 in New York again, combining Western fashion culture and Chinese sportswear design elements, showcasing the company's strategy to become a big brand."

(China Daily Global 04/25/2019 page10)