#China #Hangzhou #Tsinghua University #ANTA Group #Sportswear Design

Launch of the 3rd Global Sportswear Design Award

On June 14, 2025, a new chapter in the sportswear design landscape was initiated with the launch of the 3rd Global Sportswear Design Award at the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou. This prestigious event, jointly organized by ANTA Group and Tsinghua University, embodies a significant step towards integrating innovative resources from around the globe, framed within their theme 'MovEmpower – Motion Beyond Limits'. Notable figures like Lai Shixian, Executive Director and Co-CEO of ANTA Group, and Lu Xiaobo, Director of the Tsinghua University Art Museum, lent their voices to the journey of this award during its opening ceremony.

In conjunction with the award launch, the Tsinghua University–ANTA (China) Co., Ltd. Joint Research Center for Sports Fashion unveiled an insightful report titled _Design Innovation Trends in the Sports Fashion Industry_. This document aims to provide strategic direction for tech transformations throughout the international sportswear market.

A New Era in Design Collaboration

The partnership between ANTA Group and Tsinghua University signifies a remarkable collaboration between industry and academia, setting a benchmark for 'multi-disciplinary synergy' in China's sportswear sector. This dynamic platform endeavors to foster creativity through idea incubation, talent discovery, and industrial advancements. Lai Shixian emphasized the importance of innovation in growth, asserting, "At ANTA, innovation drives our progress. We aim to evolve from 'Made in China' to 'Created in China', elevating Chinese brands on a global scale." Lu Xiaobo echoed similar sentiments, stating that "Innovative design significantly influences sports culture while enhancing our nation's cultural soft power".

Having seen remarkable participation in previous years, the competition has garnered over 4,000 entries from more than 270 universities spanning 30 countries and regions, solidifying its status as a globally recognized incubator for sportswear design.

Expanding Horizons for Innovation

The 2025 edition promises an expanded framework and scale designed to empower competitors, offering diverse tracks focused on technology, culture, nature, and AI-Generated Content (AIGC). To engage a wider audience, seven university roadshows will take place globally, inviting contributions from students, independent designers, and design enthusiasts located in over 25 countries and regions. Anticipating over 2,500 submissions, the competition awards will exceed several million RMB in prizes. A global jury comprising more than 100 experts from both academia and industry will critically assess the entries.

The award aims to unify innovation resources, ensuring a sustainable future for the sportswear industry via a well-structured mechanism comprising a call for entries, expert review panels, and industrial transformations.

Nurturing Talent and Creativity

One of the cornerstones of this initiative is ANTA’s commitment to nurturing young talent through the competition. Several top finalists from past editions have transitioned into roles within ANTA’s multi-brand design teams. This endeavor seeks to create an international platform that invigorates budding designers and fast-tracks progress in sportswear innovation. ANTA is poised to continue advocating for their principle: _'Innovation Drives the Future'_ by leveraging their global open-innovation ecosystem and integrating academic knowledge with industry practices to infuse the sector with both technical and aesthetic vitality.

As we look forward to the forthcoming competition period, which runs from June 2025 to March 2026, updates and participant information can be found on the official website at ANTA Sports Design or by following the Tsinghua University–ANTA Joint Research Center for Sports Fashion on WeChat.