Chinese sportswear brand 361° enters Europe

Chinese sports footwear and apparel brand 361° is targeting the European market following successful soft-launches in the US and Brazil.

Owned by Yue Lei International, 361° is China’s second biggest sporting goods brand and has more than 7,800 stores in China and generates annual revenues of over 1 billion euros. As well as providing running, training and leisure shoes, the brand’s portfolio also includes sports and functional wear for both indoors and outdoors.

The brand, which was founded in Jianjing in 2003, launched in the US and Brazil in 2014, and now plans to bring its active sportswear label that has been specially developed for the international market to Europe as it looks to establish itself as an international renowned player in the sports segment.

"Our 'One Degree Beyond' approach, encapsulates our claim to be one decisive step ahead when it comes to innovation, performance, design and service," explains 361° CEO Otto Lin. "We are quite sure that our mission, our expertise and our innovative technologies will help us make a huge impact on the European market."

361° will launch with an initial 140-piece spring/summer 2015 collection, comprising of running, training, trail and lifestyle shoes and clothing for men and women, ranging in price from 69 to 130 euros. The activewear brand is placing emphasis on its running division, and it is hoping that its highly specialised running shoes, such as the models Chromoso or Sensation, which feature three-layers in the middle sole providing enhanced stability and cushioning while offering featherweight comfort, will become its hero products.

Chinese sportswear brand 361° targets Europe with expansion push

The spring/summer 2015 collection will be unveiled at the ISPO sports fair in Munich from February 5-8, where the company is a partner to the trade show’s annual Runner’s World shoe symposium taking place on the first day.

In addition, the Chinese sportswear brand is also sponsoring various sports events in Europe to get its name out to consumers, as well as supporting the Olympic Games and Paralympics in Brazil in 2016. The activewear label is providing the official torchbearer and others involved in front of and behind the scenes of the event with more than 100,000 outfits.

Ding Wuhao, president and executive director on the 361 Degrees Group, added: "We are truly proud to be able to support the Olympics in Rio – one of the most important and most anticipated sporting events in the world.

"For us, this is a key milestone in being able to share our passion for sport with Brazil and the rest of the world."