China’s premier sports brand Li-Ning, presented a special 30th anniversary Autumn/Winter 2020 collection at Paris Fashion Week Men’s. For the show, Li-Ning creates the effect of a shifting 3-D urban landscape—the Pompidou illuminated in a matrix-like grid constructed of scaffolding, neon, pixelated LED screens, and monitors displaying 8-bit content reminiscent of ’80s video games alongside various vintage video footage.
The collection originates in an image of Mr. Li, the brand’s founder and an Olympic gold medalist in his own right, wearing a suit at last season’s runway show. The vision of a champion athlete in relaxed tailoring inspires Li-Ning’s approach: applying techniques of classical tailoring to iconic, sport-derived styles, seen through an aesthetic lens of future-past.
This range of apparel, footwear, and accessories is a product of Li-Ning’s three-decades-long quest to define a wardrobe for tomorrow. Li-Ning sets into motion a far-reaching series of new collaborations and associations within the worlds of fashion such as: LI-NING x RANDOM IDENTITIES and LI-NING x NEIL BARRETT and contemporary art, the latter of which is represented in Li-Ning’s three-year patronage, beginning in January 2020, of Paris’ renowned cultural institution the Centre Pompidou.
The brand’s Autumn/Winter 2020 show opened with a preview of yet another partnership: a design collaboration with the iconic martial artist and actor Jackie Chan. The 10-look collection features futuristic black-and-white looks that combine Kung-Fu–inspired design elements with utility and military surplus.
Founder Mr. Li of the 30th anniversary collection : “I am proud beyond words that the framework we architected in 1990 has expanded to include such a richness of heritage, design, innovation, creativity, and spirit that new collaborators—celebrated designers and iconic stars alike—can be welcomed into our brand and express something true to themselves yet classically Li-Ning. This collection is a study in contrast, a juxtaposition of where we have been and where we are going. We are humbled to reconsider the last 30 years while looking ahead to the next.”
