Economy - published on 07 December 2023
Source: Cecilia Flaccavento, Intern at the Chamber of Commerce of Treviso – Belluno|Dolomites
The Sports Industry attracts particular attentions from the final consumer, as it is able to satisfy different but important needs and requirements. Some of these can be: individual physical well-being, the quantity and quality of time spent with family, friends and loved ones, feeling part of a group of people who share your passion with the same intensity, the search for constructive experiences that can positively absorb the stress of daily routines, the expression of one’s personal style and aesthetic taste or the attainment of the desired physical form, and last but not least, the desire to challenge oneself in different environments and circumstances and activate healthy competition dynamics. The SportSystem encompasses all of these dimensions and needs, making it possible to reach various and varied targets of potential customers and consumers.
The luxury of the experience and the sport you can wear
The SportSystem District of sportswear in Montebelluna, in the province of Treviso, – halfway between Venice and Cortina- is one of the main Italian productive areas in this sector: a district that covers an area of about 355 square kilometres, with 344 companies and a total of 4,966 employees and a total turnover of EUR 2.7 billion.
The outdoor sector is one of the most dynamic of the SportSystem and in fact one of the District’s leading products, both nationally and internationally, is the ski boot: a specialisation that is a source of pride for the Montebelluna area to the point of being celebrated even in the Museo dello Scarpone e della Calzatura Sportiva (Museum of Sport Shoes and Footwear) in Montebelluna (province of Treviso), which aims to preserve and enhance the memory and tradition of the district’s brands.
Consumers of sports goods abroad in fact choose Made in Italy as a guarantee of high quality, high technological level and, more recently, also for its attention to sustainability. As proof of the high level of recognition and relevance that the Italian SportSystem district has abroad, and specifically in Asia, one cannot fail to mention the event that has just concluded in Beijing, on 17/09/2023, namely the World Winter Sports Expo 2023 (WWSE) organised by the ICE (Italian Trade Agency) and Assosport (the National Association of Sporting Goods Manufacturers) at the Shougang Beijing Park (already the venue for the Big Air competitions at the Beijing 2022 Olympics). This is the benchmark event for the Ski and Outdoor sector in China, where the winter sports industry generates a turnover of EUR 72 billion (2021), which is expected to double by 2025 (source: CAIC).
The aim was to promote the internationalisation of Italian companies and intercept distribution and marketing opportunities for products from the Ski and Outdoor world in China. The result was satisfying, as the 2023 edition saw an important participation of Italy, with a national pavilion and the strong desire of the Italian ice and snow industry to continue to seek and expand, in the post-Winter Olympics period, opportunities for cooperation with China in winter sports.
Winter sports are in fact booming in China: Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Beijing and Shenyang – the largest cities in China – now host places where adults and children can play in the snow.
It is therefore clear that collaboration in the Winter Olympic Games and in the winter sports sector represents a promising field in the mutually beneficial relationship between China and Italy.
Not just boots: luxury comfort for everyday life
While the boot is still one of the flagships of the Treviso and Belluno area, it is worth considering all the advantages and opportunities that Made in Italy and especially Made-in-Treviso-and-Belluno have to offer.
The concept of comfort, in fact, for the district in Montebelluna is not confined to sport, it is a lifestyle, and it is not a coincidence that we use the word style, because it is precisely the combination of comfort and aesthetics that makes the approach and inventiveness of this territory so special. For a district in which the brand was born that has succeeded worldwide in combining physical well-being, comfort and Italian-style elegance, the shoe is not just a tool to practise sport in the mountains, it is rather a precious ally, a support for one’s desire to enhance and take care of oneself, in every possible sense.
In a market as multifaceted as China’s, such an original combination offers countless opportunities, if we consider the potential of all possible market segments. The first one that emerges is the one that concerns mountain tourism – see the province of Guizhou, under the spotlight in recent years specifically for the extent to which they are investing in mountain tourism -. As early as 2018, in fact, an official delegation from this Chinese province landed in Montebelluna (Treviso) to meet with the companies of the local Sportsystem Association, a very prolific meeting for both parties as it ended with the subscription of a shared document for the development of commercial exchanges (Read the full news). The fact that a powerhouse like China seeks out the products and skills of the Montebelluna area to meet its growing needs shows how the prospects for the future are very promising.
Not to be underestimated is the value of sharing that the Chinese people attach to most experiences and aspects of daily life: outdoor sports such as hiking, cycling, fresbee and mountaineering are spreading in China – thanks to social media and evidenced by the growing number of sportswear brands on e-commerce platforms – and Chinese culture has always tended towards collectivity, community and sharing, whether with family, which is of fundamental importance, or with one’s own circle of acquaintances and friends, an element that certainly contributes to the spread of these types of recreational activities and the expansion of their respective markets.
We have said that comfort and style for the Montebelluna (Treviso) district are not limited to sport, although we recognise the genius of merging these two apparently discordant dimensions.
Let us imagine for a moment a Chinese career woman – in ever-increasing numbers – who has to cross a metropolis every day for work reasons. How many and what advantages would it represent for her to be able to walk lightly in a pair of comfortable yet elegant shoes that guarantee the inimitable Italian style and quality of Made-in-Montebelluna manufacture?
If for Chinese culture the concept of question, since the time of Confucius, is of fundamental importance for the growth of both individuals and the community, let us conclude with a question: what if we stopped thinking of comfort as the opposite of luxury and elegance and considered the district of Montebelluna (Treviso) as a microcosm in which these two dimensions are combined with quality, physical health and sustainability?
Luxury and comfort: two sides of the same coin, won by the SportSystem district of Montebelluna.
Discover all the Companies in the sector and the district in our Community TheCompanies
Learn more about the SportSystem District in the DEDICATED SECTION
Sources:
ICE:
https://www.ice.it/it/settori/sistema-moda-e-persona/articoli-sportivi
https://www.ice.it/it/settori/sistema-moda-e-persona/articoli-sportivi
CNN China:
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/winter-sports-tourism-china-intl-hnk/index.html
Sportbusinessmag:
https://sportbusinessmag.sport-press.it/2023/07/14/assosport-porta-circa-30-buyers-stranieri-nel-distretto-dello-sportsystem-italiano/
Milanofinanza:
https://www.milanofinanza.it/fashion/lo-sportsystem-di-belluno-rincorre-gli-sciatori-cinesi-1239249
China Radio International:
https://italian.cri.cn/2023/09/28/ARTIDZ4qqRGHx0O4FFNU4exp230928.shtml
https://italian.cri.cn/2023/09/28/ARTIDZ4qqRGHx0O4FFNU4exp230928.shtml
Trevisotoday:
https://www.trevisotoday.it/video/aziende-sportsytem-cina-montebelluna-20-aprile-2018.html
Read the article in italian and in chinese:
