When the Chinese sportswear maker Erke donated 50 million yuan ($7.7 million) for flood-devastated Henan Province, it was venerated by internet users as “the light of domestic products” and people flocked to its stores. © AP

'Nationalist consumption' boosts Chinese fashion industry

Domestic brands lure novelty-seeking young as international rivals retreat

NIKKI SUN, Nikkei staff writer

August 27, 2021 06:03 JST

HONG KONG -- A nationwide shopping spree has turned the Chinese sportswear maker Erke from an also-ran to one of the hottest brands in the country, highlighting how the trend for "nationalist consumption" has changed China's retail landscape and put pressure on Western companies.

Erke may not have Li Ning's daring designs to impress fashion trendsetters in Milan, or Anta Sports' financial power to acquire big-name foreign brands like Fila and Arc'teryx.