“Sports Meets Fashion” Perfectly Creates a New Label for the Sports Industry

Preface: In recent years, women have become a major force in the sports industry. Before the Rio Olympics, data released by the international talent consulting and headhunting firmSRIshowed that the number of women entering the sports industry had increased by19%. This trend has been well validated in China.11Month13, the China Sports Industry Market (CSIM) Shenzhen Station, hosted by Shenzhen Kastone Sports and Lazy Bear Sports, was held at the International Conference Center of Kosun Science Park. The event focused on the theme of “Women in Sports Entrepreneurship,” with the slogan “Her Color, Her Strength.” Guest speakers included Han Mu, founder of Lazy Bear Sports; Liu Chi, Deputy Director of the Nanshan District Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau of Shenzhen; Zhao Morlei, General Manager of Shenzhen Kastone Sports; and Yuan Xun Fund partnerFrank, who delivered opening speeches. The summit discussion also featured guests such as Li Yu, founder of Renyuxian; Tiaotiao, founder of Supermonkey; Gao Kening, co-founder of Lexiangdong; Zhou Yana, founder of Lemon Fitness; Lu Qing, founder of Chunyue Life;Xiong Mingjun, founder of Yoga; Liu Yao, co-founder of Haosepai; and Dong Dong, partner of Yuedomi.WakeYoga founder Xiong Mingjun, Haosepai co-founder Liu Yao, and Yuedomi partner Dong Dong also participated in the panel discussions.

A total of over300industry professionals were invited to attend. The guests shared their entrepreneurial journeys and experiences on hot topics such as“How do you view the female label among entrepreneurs?” and “From a company perspective, how can the softer side of women be better showcased?”5The one-hour session packed with insights proved highly beneficial to the audience.

Nanshan District, Shenzhen4Takes Major Steps to Support the Sports Industry

▲Liu Chi, Deputy Director of the Nanshan District Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau of Shenzhen

“The Shenzhen municipal government has invested1000this year in the sports industry fund, and the Nanshan District sports support fund and its funding targets are set to be achieved within5years,” clearly stated Liu Chi, Deputy Director of the Nanshan District Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau of Shenzhen.,“First, the output value should reach5000. The industry includes eleven sectors such as sports manufacturing, sports intermediaries, club operations, and sports R&D. Second, a sports industrial park needs to be established. Third,,government support will be delivered directly to individuals. For example, if a gym session currently costs30yuan, with the government subsidizing20yuan and the individual paying10yuan, how is the subsidy provided? Now there’s an app called ‘Nanshan Wenti Tong.’ Next year, several tens of millions of yuan will be allocated for subsidies. Similar to Taobao, the app will promote fitness digitally, with the government covering the costs—no longer subsidizing venues as before. Fourth, government procurement services. Hosting good competitions—positive, socially impactful ones—the government will allocate part of the funds for subsidies, with the maximum amount reaching40%.

Sports Becomes a New Favorite Among Women

▲Zhao Morlei, General Manager of Shenzhen Kastone Sports

In the eyes of the vast majority of industry professionals, the women's sports market holds immeasurable potential. "The spending power of one woman equals that of...50men" — while this generalization of modern women's purchasing power may be somewhat exaggerated, it is undoubtedly the future market trend.  In the sports sector, female consumers have also been elevated to an unprecedented level. Fitness and exercise have become a fashionable lifestyle, just like lipstick and high heels, sports have become the new favorite of women.

"Combining sports with fashion is the merging of two trends, forming a lifestyle, an attitude toward life. The original product channel promotion methods have now evolved into the era of content and traffic. Only with compelling stories and content can we deliver a better consumption experience and greater consumer engagement." This was the sharing theme of Zhao Morlei, General Manager of Shenzhen Kastone Sports, at yesterday’s China Sports Industry Market event in Shenzhen, as well as2017the2theme and purpose of the24-26Asia Women’s Sports & Fashion Expo held onThe Asia Ladies2017at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center.

What does Kastone do? Some may not be familiar, but when mentions are made of Alibaba’s Yunqi Conference, Alibaba, or Mercedes-Benz car launch events, you’ll know — Kastone is a service provider specializing in sports and exhibitions, and has been listed on the New Third Board.

Kastone Sports is dedicated to sports exhibitions, creating joy and value for the public, and hopes to truly build an event that delivers value to more enterprises and the public.

Kastone Sports perfectly created the major event “Where Sports Meets Fashion”

In China, emerging domestic brands such as Li-Ning, Anta, and Erke, as rising stars, have continuously integrated fashion themes during the surge in sports events, launching batches of sportswear that blend fashion with function, carving out their own space in the wave. This is the sports market.

The Asia Lasies2017The Asia Women’s Sports & Fashion Expo, with keen market foresight and based on various market studies, segmented the market to build a women's sports-dedicated platform different from typical comprehensive expos. Its aim is to not rely entirely on the traditional exhibitionB2B ,B2Cdisplay models, but rather to promote a new lifestyle and attitude, encouraging the rise of more homegrown Chinese brands like international success stories such as “heyjuice” and “lululemon”, more products tailored to the physical needs of Chinese people, and greater advancement in China’s smart wearable technology — helping the Chinese sports industry truly align with global standards and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world.

Of course, diving into this wave isn’t just a solo effort by the Asia Women’s Sports & Fashion Expo. In today’s era of resource integration and data dominance, beyond traditional booth sales, old display formats can no longer keep up with current trends,so more brands have launched training camps and interactive experiential activities— especially with the growing popularity of cross-industry collaborations, there are increasingly more interactive and experiential events. As these events emerge, the old product channel promotion methods have transformed into today’s era of content and traffic, where only great stories and content can drive better consumer experiences and participation.

Three Major Themes Create a Women’s Sports Festival

Therefore,the expo adopts a presentation format of “activities + exhibition + carnival”to bring the most cutting-edge and healthiest lifestyle to today’s fitness and fashion enthusiasts. Among the highlights, Suisheng, Ollie, and China Aviation Fitness hosted a massive fitnessINcarnivalpartyfor thousands;, Balance, Meng’s Yoga, and the Yoga Association organized a thousand-person yoga session; Boiling PointPSYCHOSpresented extreme sports performances, while PurCotton, Suisheng, and Tuoding held stylishTfashion runway shows — all perfectly showcasing a carnival that fuses the three themes of women, sports, and fashion.

Moreover, the expo also tapped into the current craze for visible abs among female fitness enthusiasts, collaborating with the first-ever...SHAPE GIRLThe organizers of the Waistline Beauty Contest have joined forces to jointly create2017the second editionShape Girlof the Waistline Beauty Contest, reshaping the most intuitive lifestyle and health concepts for contemporary women, allowing more beauty-loving women to showcase their most beautiful forms.

Of course, it’s not enough to just have sports brands involved. The exhibition itself is an industry exchange event — there must be buyers to have sellers, in order to drive the industry chain forward.The Asia Lasies2017The Asia Women’s Sports & Fashion Expo has partnered with resources such as Joyrun, Shenzhen Outdoor Hiking Association, Shenzhen Women’s Marathon, Swarovski, and iBurn, co-hosting two major events: the “China Women’s Races Alliance” and the “China Running Group Conference.” These initiatives bring together national running group communities, beauty-running groups, and running group icons, collectively creating a significant industry event. This allows more sports enterprises at the exhibition to see the real needs of the industry community, engage face-to-face both online and offline, and activate the entire industry chain.

There are many entrepreneurial opportunities in sports. Everyone understands that making a product is relatively easy — as long as you have the resources. But building a brand is very difficult. Aside from being influenced by the embedded marketing of well-known international brands, Chinese brands still have a long way to go in terms of key issues like design innovation and wearing experience. Many platforms have emerged in the industry, but there are too few that can truly settle down, start from the market, and explore and cultivate platforms that fit China’s sports market based on customer needs. As Zhao Molei, General Manager of Kastone Sports Industry, put it:Sports and fashionare a positive attitude toward life.We hopeThe Asia Lasies2017the platform built by the Asia Women’s Sports & Fashion Expo can allow more women to express their individuality and lifestyle, making the entire sports community even more complete with the addition of women.