Prada Refreshes Chinese Women’s National Football Team Outfits
NEW YEAR WITH A BANG: Prada on Tuesday unveiled a brand new look for the Chinese Women’s National Football Team ahead of the upcoming Year of the Dragon, which in the eyes of 1.4 billion Chinese citizens and Chinese diaspora around the world represents the beginning of a new cycle.
To support talented young athletes and explore the world of sport, Prada forged a partnership with the Chinese Women’s National Football Team last summer right before the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
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Despite the Chinese soccer team being unable to advance beyond the group round facing tough matchups against England and Denmark, the team was hailed as role models back home for being fearless and collaborative.
In the new campaign, 13 players wear bespoke black wool suits with the team’s purple phoenix logo on the front pocket and blue shirts with red collars. They completed the looks with simple black leather belts, red fisherman hats, and brushed leather loafers adorned with Prada’s triangle logos.
Following a slew of former ambassadors such as Zheng Shuang, Cai Xukun and Li Yifeng caught up in scandals, Prada became one of the first luxury brands to embrace sports personalities in China, in a bid to promote a healthy brand image and diversify away from its reliance on celebrity endorsements, a high-risk endeavor under China’s current climate, despite its high returns.
In 2022, the brand launched a widely shared Douyin campaign featuring four acclaimed Olympic athletes who represent a range of beauty standards.
The campaign was directed by Hung Huang and featured shotput athlete Gong Lijiao, marathon runner Li Zhixuan, water polo player Xiong Dunhan, and Yang Shuyu, who was later promoted to a brand ambassador.
Prada also counts Chinese table tennis player and Olympic champion Ma Long as a brand ambassador.
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