New frontiers come into fashion

The designer of the Japanese outdoor fashion brand, Norbit by Hiroshi Nozawa, presented new collections in China for the first time at the Shanghai Fashion Week since the brand's establishment in 1999, underscoring the expanding market based on insights from foreign designers.

"Chinese design language, including inspiration, has significantly improved compared to 20 years ago and demonstrated a strong understanding and acceptance of this outdoor fashion trend culture. I hope my brand will garner more attention here," Hiroshi Nozawa said during the urban outdoor round table Go Field.

Liu Hongwei, a video blogger and co-founder of the urban outdoor brand Watch the Wind, elucidates the burgeoning trend based on his observations. "The surge in popularity of outdoor activities in China has been sudden."

Camping-related products nearly sold out online during the May Day holiday in 2020. "At that time, partly influenced by the pandemic, everyone saw spending time with family and friends in outdoor settings as a positive pursuit. Gradually, the trend evolved toward hiking, skiing, and mountaineering, leading to significant growth in recent years," says Liu Hongwei.

In addition to an overall upswing in the urban outdoor and sports industry, some specific trends have emerged, such as a heightened professional understanding of fabrics and increased female involvement in the outdoor market.

"We've noticed a growing number of female consumers in our urban outdoor clothing segment, and we should introduce more designs tailored to women," says Zhu Yide, founder of Element, a specialty store focusing on outdoor collections.

"Consumers have shifted from solely relying on cotton clothing to seeking more information about technical fabrics and material data. I believe this is an evolving process, and overall, it is a positive development."