Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning (who recently signed Portland Trailblazer CJ McCollum) is embracing a new “futuristic sneakers hall of fame” aesthetic amids a brand face-lift. The brand is one of China’s leading local sportswear marketers and it recently revamped it’s brand by designing a new logo and slogan, to better compete with rivals Nike and Adidas both within China and as the Chinese brand expands internationally.
“Make the Change” is Li Ning’s new brand motto, which encourages consumers to embrace change and make breakthroughs.
The new logo, meanwhile, includes a subtle outline of the “Li Ning Cross” gymnastic posture, while preserving some elements of the old logo, which loosely depict the founder’s initials, L and N. It also resembles the Chinese character “ren,” which means people. The logo, says Li Ning, “conveys a tough, motion- and energy-rich silhouette.”
Within China, Li Ning is competing with foreign sportswear brands like Nike, Adidas, Converse, Puma and Reebok for the same young target market that sets trends and seeks out hip, often Western, brands. Li Ning and other local brands like Anta have struggled to appeal to Chinese trendsetters, particularly as western companies get better at penetrating Chinese culture. Li Ning’s previous slogan and original logo will not disappear altogether, but the company hopes the new image will have more appeal to young consumers.
The company has received many criticism over the years about how their slogan “Anything Is Possible” resembles Adidas’ “Impossible Is Nothing”.
Courtesy of Instagram account @sneakerhighway23, the metallic silver shoe, boasting a sock-like collar, midfoot strap, and chunky sole. It has an appeal of a space shoe that could be a part of your daily closet of sauce-out fits.
Other than getting a public face-lift Li Ning is also upgrading its sports events planning, distribution, and product development and design.
Along with the new logo and slogan introduced this week in Beijing, the company launched an “Athletic Pro” line of high-end sports equipment for professional athletes, an “Urban Sports” range, an all-orange “Brand Heritage” collection, and a “Crossover” collection created through a collaboration between Chinese and foreign designers.
It is an understatement to say Foreign high-end streetwear and sport brands still look upto America when it comes to setting trends and getting their gear on coolest kids on the block everywhere. But this is hardly the first time a brand has caught heat under the radar. UK-based brands like C2H4 and Cottweiler also could be looked at as the new futuristic fashion beasts celebrities like Jaden Smith have been seen co-signing lately.
