Through its premium sub-brand, ANTA GUANJUN, the group has incorporated Merino wool into professional-grade performance apparel, reflecting growing confidence in the fibre’s ability to meet the technical demands of high-intensity sport. The move also aligns with rising consumer interest in materials that combine performance, comfort and natural credentials.

Consumer demand is reinforcing this shift. According to the 2025 Wool Material Consumption Trends Insight White Paper, released by Tmall Innovation Center (TMIC) and Woolmark, Merino wool apparel sales in China rose 18% year-on-year in the 12 months to July 2025, with the consumer base expanding by 13%.

Wool sportswear is among the fastest-growing segments. Gross merchandise value increased 58% across the same period, while Merino wool sportswear products recorded growth of 119%. Growth in wool is being led by millennial consumers, particularly in Tier 1 and emerging Tier 1 cities, where performance, style and sustainability increasingly intersect.

ANTA Guanjun’s recent launch of a 100% Merino wool trail running series illustrates how this demand is translating into product development. The collection debuted at the Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail Race (HK100), where elite athletes competed in custom-designed Merino wool garments under prolonged wear and challenging environmental conditions.

In these conditions, Merino wool’s thermoregulation, moisture management and odour resistance supported athlete comfort over long distances, providing real-world validation in an elite performance setting. For ANTA GUANJUN, a brand built around professional-grade performance, deploying Merino wool at this level reflects confidence in the fibre’s technical capability. More broadly, it signals a growing willingness among Chinese sportswear brands to incorporate natural fibres into categories traditionally dominated by synthetics.

“I have always believed that ‘professionalism stems from responding to ultimate needs’,” said Ms. Xiaofei Lin, General Manager of ANTA GUANJUN. “During my on-site research in Merino wool-producing areas in Australia last year as part of the Woolmark+ Fellowship, I was deeply impressed by the natural properties of Australian Merino wool - its combined features of moisture absorption, temperature regulation and anti-odour capabilities are highly aligned with our positioning of creating professional equipment for elite outdoor scenarios, which became the core driver for the rapid authorization cooperation between the two parties.”

As the category scales, trust and quality assurance are becoming increasingly important. The TMIC–Woolmark white paper reports Woolmark logo awareness of 88% among Chinese consumers. Seventy-six per cent cite the logo as a key decision factor when choosing between similar products, and 82% are willing to pay a premium for Woolmark-certified garments.

For performance brands operating at scale, certification offers both a quality signal and a commercial advantage, supporting premium positioning while reinforcing transparency from fibre through to finished product.

“As performance apparel evolves, brands are looking for materials that deliver both technical reliability and consumer trust,” said Woolmark Managing Director John Roberts. “Certification continues to play a critical role in validating fibre quality and supporting premium positioning in highly competitive sportswear markets.”