Sportswear lights up catwalk at China Fashion Week

Models in a variety of eye-catching sportswear graced the runway at the ongoing Spring/Summer 2025 (SS25) China Fashion Week which kicked off on Sept. 3.

Sportswear has become one of the most popular themes at this year's fashion week, featuring on almost every day of the event.

Faced with the increasingly competitive sportswear market, sports brands need to keep pace with the latest research and development of functional products to meet athletes' and fitness enthusiasts' demands for excellent performance, and also pay attention to the aesthetics of the clothing to appeal to the substantial consumer base for trendy sportswear.

Sports brands are participating in various events at this year's fashion week to gain timely insights into consumer trends and shifts in purchasing behavior.

"The clothing showcased this time is still in the research and development stage. We will optimize the designs based on consumer fitting feedback to achieve the best possible results before putting the clothes into mass production," said designer Sui Zhenchong.

Sports brands are also accelerating the digital transformation of their production lines to meet the ever-changing needs of consumers.

In a smart factory producing clothes for a sports brand in Bengbu, in east China's Anhui Province, dozens of production lines are connected to a central system, which enables the factory to maximize output from different production lines based on orders, seamlessly changing from producing summer T-shirts to winter jackets depending on customer spending.

"By utilizing smart systems and AI algorithm technologies, we are able to establish seamless connections among personnel, equipment, and materials within the production process, thereby reducing the production cycle. The current output time is 18 seconds for the entire production process, the fastest speed in the industry so far. This advancement underscores the importance of technological innovation in driving the comprehensive revitalization of the industry," said Wang Jian, head of the manufacturing department of the sportswear brand.

Sportswear lights up catwalk at China Fashion Week

Multiple handheld pager explosions struck Beirut and the southeastern and northeastern regions of Lebanon on Tuesday, leading to a temporary internet shutdown in the southern suburbs of the capital city, according to China Media Group (CMG) reporter Ci Xiaoning.

"I am currently at the entrance of a major hospital in Beirut, Lebanon's capital. Around 15:30 today, there were several explosions in the southern suburbs of Beirut. My Lebanese colleague, who lives very close to the area, experienced an immediate loss of internet connectivity. Reports have since confirmed that many handheld pagers were involved in the explosions," Ci reported outside a hospital in Beruit.

Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad confirmed that the explosions resulted in at least nine deaths and about 2,800 injuries, with approximately 200 people in critical condition. The injured are being transferred to hospitals.

In a statement, Hezbollah said it is conducting security and scientific investigations to identify the reasons behind these explosions, adding that the group is "at the highest level of readiness to defend Lebanon and its people."

In a separate statement, the Shiite group blamed Israel for "this criminal attack," vowing to retaliate.

The Lebanese Council of Ministers stressed that the government, shortly after the deadly explosions, began contacting the concerned countries and the United Nations to hold the perpetrators accountable.

Israel has yet to comment on Tuesday's blasts. According to media reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a security assessment meeting at the HaKirya military base in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to address the implications of the explosions.

CMG reporter says internet shutdown following deadly pager blasts in Lebanon