Li-Ning surprises Paris with a set by Offset during fashion week

Photographer Renaud Labelle takes us backstage at Li-Ning during Paris Fashion Week.

Li-Ning, China’s foremost sports pioneer, staged its return to Paris Men’s Fashion Week with a powerful, kinetic, and multi-faceted experience that included video installation art, a live kung fu dance performance, and a Spring/Summer 2024 runway show that culminated in a finale performance by American artist Offset, who wore Li-Ning and rapped his hit “Ric Flair Drip”. Presenting at Paris’ Centre Pompidou for the first time since January 2020.

Spring/Summer 2024 found its origins in Li-Ning’s own legacy of fearless innovation and standard-bearing, boundary-breaking athletic design. The collection served as a study in imagined archetypes of the Li-Ning man and woman: the skater, the gamer, the athlete, the cool kid — all seen through a hazy, throwback lens. The result was a show that referenced the vibe of past decades while looking positively forward to the future. The range comprised pieces from Li-Ning’s most progressive collections, including Kung Fu inspired pieces from the collaborations with Bruce Lee as well as Jackie Chan, and other selections culled from the brand’s upcoming exclusive collaboration with Steven Harrington, a Los Angeles-based artist known for his psychedelic-pop aesthetic.

Backstage at Li-Ning during Paris Fashion Week shot by Renaud Labelle