Chinese sportswear giant Anta Sports — which owns the Anta brand, as well as regional rights in mainland China to Fila — is starting to resonate more strongly with North American sneaker fans interested in diversifying their assortments beyond Nike and Jordan Brand.
In 2024, Anta was the fastest-growing sneaker brand on the resale site StockX. There, the brand achieved 1,901% year-over-year trade growth, largely due to demand for its Kai 1 shoe, made in partnership with Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving. Meanwhile, in 2024, eBay users worldwide searched for Anta more than 37 times a minute, on average, according to data supplied to Modern Retail. Globally, eBay searches for “Anta Kai 1” are still going strong, up 30% from their introduction to the U.S. market in March 2024.
Much of Anta’s momentum on resale sites traces back to the Kai 1, which retails for $125 and sells in limited batches. “What drives the resale market is scarcity, and when a brand comes along that makes a very small amount of product, that is the kind of thing that energizes on the resale market,” Matt Powell, founder of the consultancy Spurwink River, told Modern Retail. In the U.S., Anta sells shoes via its online website and retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods.
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