Stephen Curry signs deal with Chinese sportswear giant

The basketball superstar Stephen Curry signed an endorsement deal with sportswear giant Li-Ning, underscoring the growing global footprint of Chinese brands. The 10-year deal is one of a number of moves by China’s companies — long pilloried as low-quality or copycat — to court international consumers: Luckin Coffee is opening branches in the US and across Southeast Asia, and has bought upscale brand Blue Bottle, while fast-fashion label Shein is acquiring “ethical” retailer Everlane. “If you rewind 10 or 20 years, there was this stigma that Chinese brands would be of lesser quality,” one retail executive told Business of Fashion. But now, “the creativity is really there, and we anticipate broadly that more Chinese brands coming to America will find success.”