The guochao movement and a fitness-app generation drive local activewear purchases in China as a cultural statement, vaulting homegrown brands from long‑overlooked names to the new standard.
“I can’t afford thrifting in China, so I settled on Zhao Lusi’s go‑to brand online. I have no regrets. The quality is amazing, and it’s seriously good. My whole city feels like one giant C‑drama set,” wrote one user on Instagram. That one comment reveals something bigger than just a shopping-spree.
Across China, a new generation of consumers are discovering local athleisure brands, not in stores but on their phones, scrolling through Douyin – China’s version of TikTok – as well as Xiaohongshu, and even TikTok itself. And while a few tourists might pick up the trend on Instagram, this wave remains homegrown and is only gaining speed.
According to Hot Pot Agency, the platform’s athleisure sales jumped 61 percent from 2022 to 2023, hitting $2.2 billion in net sales. A shift that signals more than just smart platform commerce and instead marks a deeper cultural turn, as younger Chinese consumers prioritize fitness and health. The demand is directly fueling homegrown brands includingNeiwai Active and Maia Active. These homegrown brands go far beyond theAdidas Tang jacket that became a viral trend piece in Asia and then around the world.
Douyin dethroned Tmall and JD.com in 2024 as the top marketplace for athleisure shoppers in China, according to Hot Pot Agency, a clear sign that people simply cannot stop scrolling.
The success of these homegrown brands taps into the broader guochao movement, where consumers actively champion domestic brands that reflect their own local aesthetics, values, and everyday experiences; a sentiment that has grown powerfully through the internet, making their rise not just a health trend but also a cultural statement.
Scroll, Click, Buy Local
Local brands are gaining ground on established global players even as online sales surge. Nike struggles to stay relevant in China, according to Business Insider, while local names including Anta and Li‑Ning capitalize on culturally relevant campaigns, product designs and digital experiences that connect with younger consumers. It is a strategy that goes far beyond traditional advertising.
A 2025 Comms8 survey revealed that 45 percent of Chinese consumers bought on social media after seeing influencer promotions. Chinese sportswear and equipment brand Li‑Ning seized on that behavior, tapping actress and singer Zhao Lusi as brand ambassador, while its product designs sealed the deal by blending traditional Chinese aesthetics with modern athletic functionality: A formula that has captured a dominant share of the domestic athleisure market.
Adidas managed to crack the code of this formula with its Tang jacket – a Shanghai-designed piece that ditches dragon clichés for subtle cultural nods only locals would catch.
Moqian Sun, founder of UK-based China marketing consultancyThe Harvest, argues that authentic (and therefore successful) local content focuses on real domestic routines such as office commutes, casual family outings, light home workouts, and everyday street styling that local consumers actually recognize.
As Nike lost its dominance in the Chinese market, the brand responded by collaborating with Label Hood, a local label that ignited Gen‑Z excitement and social media buzz. This was a strategic pivot driven by the urgent need to reconnect with younger consumers slipping toward homegrown competitors.
“Top brands feature their products casually in everyday scenes rather than running traditional commercials, so scrollers discover items as a natural part of watching, not as an interruption,” explains Sun. “Viral 2025 Douyin videos are simple and easy to relate to, grabbing viewers in three seconds with real outfit fits and comfort instead of listing boring fabric details or performance measurements.”
According to Reiting Lee, founder of The Oriental Hybrid, a Taipei and Riyadh based innovation strategy consultancy, younger Chinese consumers are drifting away from large visible brand names towards an old money investment piece sensibility that values understated quality over brand visibility. The old money sentiment is reinforced by global pop culture moments like TV dramas Succession and Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, while design that offers cultural and functional value wins loyalty beyond practicality. This shift is accelerated by Xiaohongshu and Douyin as they move conversations away from luxury hauls, towards wardrobe curation.
“Consumers pay more for brands that align with their values. Collaborating with local athletes like Lululemon’s signing of racing driver Zhou Guanyu and telling culturally resonant stories such as the Lunar New Year series build emotional connections. Douyin content must also show how well a brand understands Chinese consumer frustrations, from poor fit to irrelevant features, and offers tailored solutions instead of one size fits all,” Lee added.
To compete globally, local brands including Bosideng have hired world-renowned fashion designers such as Kim Jones as creative directors, while others have joined fashion weeks to reach a broader audience. Chinese local brands now focus beyond stereotypical Asian body types, aiming to stay relevant with younger consumers and to prove that their products are not only high quality but also modern.
China’s seniors are becoming a social commerce power
It would be easy to assume that the only market for buying through social media would be the young markets of Gen Z and Alpha. But the numbers reveal this simply isn’t the case.
Lee said that surviving on Chinese social media means knowing who actually sets the trends, and the answer is no longer just Gen Z. The same platforms that fueled guochao are now host to China’s seniors, a fast growing and influential group that most global brands have overlooked.
According to a report cited by People’s Daily Online, China’s silver economy is currently worth about 7 trillion Yuan (€910 bn) and could reach 30 trillion Yuan by 2035, accounting for 10 percent of the country’s GDP. And despite their age, China’s seniors form a highly active community on Douyin and other social media platforms.
“Comfortable athleisure for consumers over 60 entering the wellness market is a growing segment,” Lee adds, noting that the aging population represents a new economy where older users also create online trends among their peers.
“Winning in China goes beyond changing colors. It means tailoring everything from silhouettes and fabrics to technology specifically for Chinese consumers and their lifestyle.”
Xiaohongshu, also known as Rednote, counted more than 30 million monthly active users aged 60 and above by the end of 2024, while its elderly content creators tripled over two years and have published over 100 million posts.
On Douyin, the follower counts of silver haired influencers have reached up to 34 million, while the number of posts under the “Grandpa and Grandma” topic has surpassed 10 billion.
As gym culture in China grows larger and more diverse, the current trend also includes parents going to the gym with their children, which in turn drives demand for athleisure designed specifically for older generations.
The trend extends beyond athleisure into a mutually beneficial dynamic where the younger generation seeks quality time with family while the older generation embraces gym culture as a way to maintain vitality and social connection.
The Chinese government has also built facilities to keep elderly people exercising, giving them easier access to public sports spaces, with Shanghai alone having constructed 200 elderly sports and health centers by the end of 2025, each following standardized guidelines that include six functional zones, age friendly equipment, and trained staff certified in community sports or emergency first aid.
No performance statistic can measure a shift where the scroll and the culture driving it never stop, turning athleisure in China into a shared language for how people want to live, move, and be seen, from a grandparent with 34 million Douyin followers to a Gen Z shopper dressing like a C drama character.
Eastern views
Asia-Pacific insights for the sporting goods industry
Analysis, insights, and expert perspectives on the sporting goods industry across Asia-Pacific — covering market trends, manufacturing, retail, and brand strategy from China to Southeast Asia to Oceania. With Jakarta-based contributing editor Yohana Belinda.
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