PARIS, Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In September 2026, a leading Chinese sportswear brand ANTA unveiled its latest ANTA FOLD at the China Creative Pavilion (CCP) at Paris Design Week, an event widely regarded as a global design trendsetter. Centered around an origami art installation, ANTA unfolded a journey of its sports technology innovation, revealing how it draws inspiration from a traditional art and harnesses mechanical computation to create a pioneering technology matrix.
From Plane to Rebound, a large-scale installation, provided a tangible interpretation of ANTA’s “origami mechanics” at the debut of ANTA FOLD in Shanghai. Now, presented at Paris Design Week, it has taken the dialogue a step further, allowing structure itself to engage audiences from diverse cultural backgrounds in an aesthetic exchange.
From Plane to Rebound is made entirely from a single sheet of paper. Comprising 720 triangular tessellation units, the installation reveals the silhouette of a running shoe completely through natural deformations, without any use of cutting or glue. This visual spectacle offers an intuitive interpretation of force distribution, showcasing how a seemingly fragile sheet of paper can withstand tremendous loads through structural transformation. Standing in front of the work, one can truly experience the interplay between artistic design and structural science.
Inspired by traditional origami, ANTA FOLD was developed by the ANTA Innovation Laboratory, in collaboration with the research teams led by Professor Zhong You from the University of Oxford, Professor Yan Chen from Tianjin University, and Professor Guanyun Wang from Zhejiang University. By combining this traditional art with modern engineering mechanics, the technology applies origami’s structural and mechanical diversity to running-shoe midsoles. Through the deliberate arrangement of geometric units, a quantifiable “structural engineering philosophy” is brought to life.
ANTA FOLD has built an extendable “structural matrix platform” based on this highly engineered structural system. By parametrically adjusting the origami units, the midsole structure can be customized according to the needs of different user groups, enabling lightweighting and performance optimization from material to structure.
The H1 Waterbomb negative Poisson’s ratio configuration, formed by a staggered arrangement of classic six-crease units, makes the folded midsole structure clearly visible. It concentrates energy upon landing and releases it rapidly on take-off, delivering high energy absorption and responsive rebound for everyday commuting and urban running. The Z1 Square-twist and M1 Multi-layer configurations, meanwhile, are designed respectively for rolling and energy-absorption scenarios, a demonstration of the technology’s scalability.
The technology has won an array of international awards. As a winner of Germany’s Red Dot Design Award and the US-based MUSE Design Awards (Gold and Platinum), ANTA FOLD has come to the forefront amid global exploration into structural cushioning technology.
Franck Millot, President of Paris Design Week, said, “The sports industry is always among the first opportunity to work with new materials, while seeking a balance between technology and design.” “A running shoe can also be an art piece. ANTA FOLD represents Chinese style is on the rise. It has its own history and confidence.”
Beyond the exhibition venue, an immersive Architecture Running event weaved ANTA FOLD into urban fabric of Paris. Members of a leading running community in Paris, together with high-profile international guests, laced up ANTA FOLD running shoes and ran through the city’s iconic landmarks. Where flowing modern technology and historic architecture meet, a dialogue between “future structures” and “lasting moments” has just begun.
In the meantime, the FOLD Workshop offered visitors a hands-on experience of origami—and the mechanical wisdom within. Instead of watching and listening from a distance, visitors created their own origami structures under the guidance of an artist, experimenting with the magic of folding and unfolding and feeling the strength and beauty embedded in every crease.
As a key component of the China Creative Pavilion at Paris Design Week, ANTA FOLD’s participation marks a shift for Chinese sports brands from exporting manufacturing capabilities to exporting technology and design. From the ANTA FOLD launch and its “Physics of Folded Space” class at the Design Innovation Institute Shanghai, to its pioneering preview in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, and now its debut at Paris Design Week, ANTA FOLD is committed to empowering global runners’ performance and social presence.
Bringing a sports-focused perspective to the CCP, themed “Bon Goût! Good Taste!”, Lou Yongqi, President of Shanghai University of Engineering Science, expressed strong recognition of ANTA FOLD’s creativity. He noted that transforming familiar cultural experiences rooted in everyday life into product innovation through scientific and technological approaches offers a compelling form of expression and inspiration. He further suggested that origami could become a subject of academic exploration, with its potential applications continuing to be studied and developed.
More than a technological breakthrough in the Chinese sports arena, ANTA FOLD has earned recognition from influential design accolades across the world. These honors not only affirm the brand’s leading position in structural cushioning but also underscore the technology’s superiority in aesthetic innovation and functional design—a leap from “Made in China” to “Designed in China.”
A 12-hour journey across continents has brought ANTA’s 30-year innovation story to Paris. Here, by combining the beauty of design rooted in Chinese ingenuity with advanced structural innovation, the brand offers athletes around the world smarter, more efficient, and more distinctly Chinese sports solutions.
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