Published: Fall 2022
Author: Shiyun Ou
An increasing number of college students have changed their choice of shoes from foreign brands to domestic ones due to the boycott of Xinjiang cotton by some foreign brands.
The H & M Organization’s stance against Xinjiang cotton since March 24, 2021 led to several foreign brands declaring that they will not use Xinjiang cotton. The incident went viral on Weibo, with Chinese citizens believing those brands disrespect Chinese products.
Suli Zhang, the Li Ning branch store manager in MixC, Ouhai district explained "Since last year, we saw a lot more college students, which surprised us at first. Some of them even ask if our products are made of Xinjiang cotton. We print 'made of Xinjiang cotton' on the label to prove our position."
A student from Wenzhou University is looking at the new style of shoes in the Li Ning branch store in Wenzhou Mixc. Friday, Dec. 2nd, 2022 [Photo/ Ou Shiyun]
College students are free to choose any brand of footwear they wish and they are aware of issues in the wider society.
Yilei Ma, a junior student from Wenzhou-Kean University said, "I rediscovered the domestic market and found that many domestic brands' designs are just as surprising. I cannot accept those brands discrediting our country's cotton, " She wore shoes from a small Chinese brand, Kaalixto, which satisfied her and her outfit.
In the dining hall of Wenzhou-Kean University, students wear a variety of styles and brands of shoes. Friday, December 2, 2022 [Photo/ Ou Shiyun]
Li Ning, a leading domestic shoe brand, saw its operating revenue reach RMB 22.5 billion in 2021, a growth of RMB 12.6 billion compared with 2020, while Anta saw its revenue increase by close to RMB 1.4 billion after the H & M boycott, according to the China National Commercial Information Center monitoring data.
Nike's market share in China fell by 25.2 percent and Adidas's by 14.8 percent in 2021, according to Euromonitor International. "My friends and I don't throw away shoes of those brands we've bought because we think it's a waste. However, it is not very likely that we should buy more shoes from those brands later," Yilei Ma added.
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