Li-Ning's runway collection looked like wartime Japanese uniforms to Chinese buyers

Li-Ning, the sportswear brand founded by the Olympic gymnast of the same name, had spent years rebuilding itself as the face of 'guochao' — Chinese-style streetwear with patriotic appeal. Its 2022 autumn/winter 'Dream Chaser' runway show, held at an airport in September, was meant to reinforce that narrative with aviation-inspired designs.

Days after the show, online observers noticed that some coats and hats resembled the uniforms of the Imperial Japanese Army that occupied China during World War II. The resemblance — olive-green colouring, belted coats and flap-eared caps — triggered a wave of nationalist anger. Instead of apologising quickly, two Li-Ning executives posted on social media that consumers lacked education about Chinese history and design, which intensified the backlash.

Li-Ning finally issued an apology on 19 October 2022 and said the design was inspired by ancient Chinese helmets and outdoor gear. By then the damage was done: the company's Hong Kong-listed shares had fallen sharply, wiping out roughly HK$12.3 billion in market value within days. The episode became a textbook example of how a brand's own patriotic positioning can turn a design dispute into a national-reputation crisis.

Li-Ning's apology came after two days of backlash, but the share price had already fallen, erasing HK$12.3 billion in market value.

Li-Ning's brand identity had become tightly tied to Chinese nationalism, so any visual echo of an occupying army was read as betrayal, not aesthetics.

The design team failed to anticipate how the ear-flap caps and military-green palette would be interpreted in a Chinese social-media environment sensitive to wartime symbolism.

Senior executives responded by blaming consumers' cultural literacy instead of acknowledging the mistake, turning a product issue into an arrogance issue.

The apology came only after two days of viral criticism and a double-digit share-price drop, by which time the narrative had hardened.

When a brand sells national pride, every visual choice is a political choice. Test designs for historical symbolism before they reach the runway, and never lecture angry customers.

Li-Ning apologised, removed the disputed items and emphasised its Chinese heritage in subsequent campaigns. The brand recovered some ground but the incident is still cited as a warning for marketers relying on patriotic emotion.