Lululemon has signed China’s hottest comedian-turned-director Jia Ling as its latest ambassador.
Her appointment was accompanied by a short film, in which she shared how she spent the past year working out and making friends with fitness gurus. There are also moments of her jumping, kickboxing, weightlifting, rope climbing and doing push-ups with a group of friends wearing the brand’s signature athleisure range.
The film kicks off the brand’s fourth edition of Summer Sweat Games, an annual China-centric community-driven activation in which participants compete as a team against each other in a range of activities designed to test their overall physical abilities, including strength, endurance and coordination.
Jia, whose career began as a Chinese comedian, became a breakout star with her live performances during the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala. She made her directorial and performance debut in 2021 with “Hi, Mom,” a moving tribute to her mom.
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With 5.4 billion renminbi, or $745.7 million, in box office sales, the blockbuster film made Jia the highest-grossing Chinese female director in the country’s movie history, a record she held for two years until Greta Gerwig‘s “Barbie” made its Chinese cinema debut.
In February, Jia topped the box office charts again with “Yolo,” which she directed and starred in. The film, a Chinese adaptation of the Japanese movie “100 Yen Love,” made Jia into a household name, both for its uplifting plot and her dramatic transformation in the movie.
The film garnered 3.2 billion renminbi, or $441.9 million, in box office sales.
“Lululemon’s purpose — helping people feel their best — resonates deeply with me,” said Jia, who shed more than 100 pounds for her role in “Yolo.”
“I believe in the power of movement. It has become part of my daily life and supports both my physical and mental well-being,” she added.
Jia, who was named a brand ambassador for Prada earlier this month, joins Hong Kong actress Celina Jade, wife of former Super Junior member Han Geng; actress Wang Zixuan; Formula One racer Zhou Guanyu; professional golfer Dou Zecheng, and Amercian Chinese singer Amber Liu as the face of the American brand in mainland China.
Lynn Cheah, vice president of brand marketing and community at Lululemon China, said Jia’s “unwavering spirit, dedication to her personal growth and championing a purposeful life is truly remarkable.”
“At Lululemon, we believe that when you feel your best, you perform your best. We are proud that our products and our community have played a part in her transformational journey.…Together with Jia and our ambassadors, we invite everyone to join us this summer as we kick off the fourth year of Summer Sweat Games,” Cheah added.
China has been leading the way in Lululemon’s global expansion. In the first fiscal quarter of 2024, net income increased 10.7 percent to $321.4 million, or $2.54 a diluted share, from $290.4 million, or $2.28, a year earlier.
Mainland China’s net revenue jumped 45 percent, while comparable sales increased by 26 percent. The market represents 14 percent of the brand’s total net revenue in the quarter, a 4 percent climb year-over-year.
As of January, the brand operates 711 stores worldwide — 127 of them in mainland China, an increase of 28 points of sale year-over-year.
Later in the summer, the brand is set to unveil an upgraded, 14,400-square-foot flagship store within the upscale shopping complex Taikoo Li Sanlitun. It will be the brand’s largest store in north China.
