PR91287

BEIJING, Aug. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

M·O·V·E, Keep Moving

Earlier this year in June, Chinese sportswear giant ANTA Group and Tsinghua

University, an institution with a long-running sports tradition, came together

to jointly establish Tsinghua University-ANTA Group Joint Research Center for

Sports Fashion with the goal of furthering industry innovation in sport. The

same day, they launched the "M·O·V·E-Born by Movement" theme reflecting their

shared mission, vision and values. Bringing this theme, which encapsulates

ANTA's Keep Moving philosophy to life, a creative talent platform was created

to recruit and cultivate young designers around the world. Dubbed the Global

Sports Equipment Innovation Design Competition, this platform serves as an

enabling vehicle for designers to exhibit their skills, gain creative training

and realize their ideas and dreams.

Turbocharged R&D and leapfrogging sports technology innovation

Aiming to nurture more outstanding design talent at home and abroad, and open

up more possibilities for sports lifestyle products, ANTA Group continues to

invest in sports technology research and development and innovative design.

Tsinghua University-ANTA Group Joint Research Center is committed to building a

world-leading innovation platform for the sports goods industry as also

promoting China's sports industry. The industry-university-research model will

serve as a joint force for innovation and build brands with global influence.

(photo 1)

The Global Sportswear Design Award jointly launched by Tsinghua University and

ANTA Group is the first exclusive sporting goods product design competition in

the industry that invites participation from around the world. What's more, it

drives wide-ranging social impact and industrial innovation. Powering this

initiative is a comprehensive world-class service support system, a topflight

jury, and the finest design instructors. Not only will it help companies

achieve transformative results, but also provide designers with a platform to

realize their ideas and dreams, fashioning future sports fashion design

superstars.

Ding Shizhong, Chairman and CEO of ANTA Group, averred: "Innovation is the

foundation for survival of the company. This year marks the 30th anniversary of

the founding of ANTA Group. We will continue to invest in technological

innovation and R&D while rapidly transforming the group's global resources. The

triple R&D model of industry-university-research cooperation that integrates

R&D and academic resources is the only way for ANTA to go global."

The roots of independent innovation run deep

Promoting the development of the industry goes hand in hand with fostering

independent innovation. Last year, the 2020 "ANTA Cup" China Footwear & Apparel

Design Competition hosted by ANTA Group received more than a thousand

submissions from around the country and overseas. After multiple rounds of

selection by the judges, contestants Cui Tiehan and Wang Shengyu stood out

among many outstanding designers and won top honors in the footwear and apparel

categories respectively. Cui Tiehan's award-winning showcase "Superflex Clog

2030" was characterized by simplicity and a celebration of the ordinary. A

graduate of Dalian Jiaotong University, Cui entered this competition for the

first time.

(photo 2)

"Start from the needs. Make user experience and other aspects the core thread

of the design concept, and then tactfully weave creative inspiration into it. I

fervently hope there is value and raison d'être in the shoes I design. "

Cui Tiehan

The design of the shoes was inspired by clogs, one of the oldest styles of

traditional Chinese footwear. The main midsole was made of fully recyclable and

degradable wood. Cui believes that besides leveraging new technologies to

enhance convenience and comfort, sneaker design needs to make better use of new

techniques and materials so it can save costs and resources. Sustainable green

design is also perfectly in keeping with the ANTA Keep Moving brand concept.

Winning work "Just Then" from the clothing category by Wang Shengyu from Hefei

Normal University conveyed a unique concept, embodying a distinctive style.

(photo 3)

"Costume design is about continually honing and experimenting. I sincerely hope

that designers will have the courage, no matter whether in school or at work,

to express what it means to be a new youth in the present times."

Wang Shengyu

The design was inspired by the new youth in the background of the May 4th

Movement. It is an exhortation to today's youth to maintain a firm belief in

the power of courage, independence and diligence. The name "Just Then"

expresses the concept of youth at the right time, calling on contemporary youth

to be pioneering and enterprising, and to showcase brilliance to the world. The

clothing design incorporated current fashion trends and selected knitted

fabrics that are both breathable and comfortable and, as such, well-suited to

sportswear. The collision of bright orange and garnet red, on its part, serves

to vividly represent the vitality and positive attitude of the new youth.

The ANTA Group has always taken R&D and innovation seriously, continually

investing in it to deepen expertise in sports technology and innovative design.

ANTA has partnered the Chinese Olympic Committee for eight consecutive years,

representing Chinese sports brands in the international arena by creating

Olympics equipment for 28 Chinese national teams and designing 6 award-winning

outfits for Chinese sports delegations. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, ANTA

supplied equipment to Chinese teams for weightlifting, wrestling, boxing,

gymnastics, trampoline, taekwondo and other sports. Most notably, it invited

China's first Oscar winner and celebrated costume designer and visual artist

Tim Yip to lead podium outfit design for the Chinese sports delegation at the

2020 Tokyo Olympics.

(photo 4)

"I think the design of this podium outfit needs to reflect magnanimity,

large-heartedness, a space where we prosper and the world prospers with us. It

is about enshrining this moment, rendering it immortal. Yes, that is the

emotion I want to express. "

Tim Yip

After four years of work finessing this outfit design, Tim Yip finally unveiled

a creation that not only flattered the Chinese frame but also paid tribute to

the Chinese character and spirit. Born in Hong Kong, Tim Yip received his

education in Europe and launched his artistic career in Taiwan before taking it

to greater heights in Beijing. Tim Yip's rich personal experience combined with

his exposure to diverse cultural influences widened his perspective and, in

turn, reshaped how the Chinese see and express themselves on the world stage.

In this design, he presents to the world the oriental aesthetic and what it

means to be Chinese as a testament to China's long cultural heritage.

(photo 5)

We hope to see sports brands demonstrate their design prowess to the world and

shine on the international stage. At the same time, ANTA Group will also work

with international designers, forging ahead and creating the future!

Appendix 1

ABOUT Global Sportswear Design Award (GSDA)

The Global Sportswear Design Award (hereinafter referred to as "the Award") is

rooted in the field of professional sports fashion and focuses on the dream of

shaping a better future for all. The engine behind this initiative is a

comprehensive world-class service support system, a sterling quality standard,

expert evaluation by a topflight jury, design experience knowledge and

instruction by accomplished design masters and finally, assistance from leading

enterprise that brings quality design to fruition. GSDA offers designers a

platform to further their careers, realize ideas that promote sports and health

for mankind, and fulfil their dreams of shaping a better future. In doing so,

this initiative also helps discover and birth global sports fashion design

superstars of the future.

With the theme, M·O·V·E- Born by Movement, this award invokes the laws of

nature and in particular, that of movement, which is both infinite and a

foundational basis for all living beings. The award embodies the principles of

ANTA-Keep Moving and, by appreciating the aesthetic emotion of transcendent

moments, hopes to create peak experiences. This competition, which is premised

on originality, seeks talented designers for the field of sportswear design so

it can nurture them as the backbone of the design industry. Taking the vision

of the future as its goal, it integrates production, academy and research

intimately to explore the future of sportswear. The award is committed to

becoming a pioneering event with wide-ranging social influence that drives

industrial innovation. It advocates a return to design originality - "creation"

- integrating creative resources from all over the world to sculpt dreams and

script the future of sports.

Theme M·O·V·E

With the universe in a constant state of flux, life teems and grows endlessly

underscoring the truth that the essence of human sustenance is indeed movement.

Keep moving, explore bravely, forge ahead and create the future.

Moment          -- Assertion          Peak Experience

                The aesthetic emotion of the transcendent moment

Originality       -- Mission            Individuality & Originality

                Unleashing the source of originality

Vision              -- Goal                 Vision of Future

                Realizing the vision, creating the future

Evolution         -- Impact              Evolution Pioneer

                Evolution that drives industrial technology

Appendix 2

(photo 6)

Source: ANTA Group

Image Attachments Links:

   Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=398991

   Caption: Tsinghua University-ANTA Group Joint Research Center

   Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=398993

   Caption: ANTA Cup China Footwear and Apparel Design Competition Winner, Cui Tiehan’s

"Superflex Clog 2030"

   Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=398994

   Caption: ANTA Cup China Footwear and Apparel Design Competition Winner, Wang Shengyu’s

"JUST THEN"

   Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=398995

   Caption: Tim Yip presents the podium outfits to the Chinese sports delegation

   Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=398996

   Caption: ANTA supported the Chinese national team across 22 competitions at the 2020

Tokyo Olympics

   Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=398997