Erke holds Sports Technology Day in Shanghai
China-based sports brand Erke, part of the Hongxing manufacturing group, hosted its annual 303 Sports Technology Day in Shanghai earlier this month.
Erke took the opportunity to officially launch its new Infinite 1.0 running shoe at the event, which was attended by Shanghai University of Sport researchers, Beijing 2022 organisers, representatives from retailer JD.com, “hundreds” of athletes and journalists, members of the brand’s own product teams and former chief executive Wu Rongzhao, now chairman of the company, who delivered a rallying speech.
The footwear notably features a full-length carbon-fibre plate in the midsole, built to enhance the performance of Chinese marathoners following crowdtesting and biomechanical analysis based on data from “tens of thousands” of participants. Professional runners such as Li Zhixuan subsequently helped fine-tune the resulting lasts and various configurations over a 12-month period involving “thousands” of modifications, local media reported.
Later, Erke announced a new partnership with Shanghai University of Sport, which it said would allow it to progress its biomechanics-led designs further. It also issued updates on its activewear and other footwear lines.
Another key development involved the unveiling of an all-female team of “elite” runners, the brand’s latest ambassadors, as well as a fresh business strategy inspired by the concept of “co-creation” alongside its athletes and customers, in addition to Erke's own research into the ‘real’ needs of Chinese runners.
Image: Erke via Weibo.
