Xiao Zhan Lands Endorsement Deal as the Face of Chinese sportswear Li-Ning

In the wake of the mass exodus of celebrities distancing themselves from international brands supporting the boycott of Xinjiang sourced cotton, Chinese sportswear company Li-Ning just announced signing Xiao Zhan as the brand’s newest celebrity endorser.

The partnership announcement between the sportswear retailer and Xiao Zhan comes at a rather serendipitous time too, what with the backlash from the ban on Xinjiang cotton seeing a huge resurgence of nationalistic sentiments amongst Chinese consumers. Not to mention the partnership being a definite win-win for both now that the actor has slowly been getting back into the groove after the AO3 controversy had him lying low for a while.

Featuring the idol dressed in head to toe black and most definitely in head to toe Li-Ning, Xiao Zhan’s campaign for the brand seems to lean towards bringing functional sportswear and athleisure up to a higher level when it comes to style. Buyers seem to think so too since some of the items Xiao Zhan wore for his Li-Ning debut sold out like hotcakes within minutes! Or maybe it’s just the Xiao Zhan effect you know?

Either way, with the backlash against Adidas and Nike, domestic brands seem to be quite keen on stepping up their game to fill the void. For the folks at Li-Ning at least, today’s successful unveiling coupled with the hefty jump of its stock up to nearly 9% on the Hong Kong stock market is surely a just cause for celebration.

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