Kolon Industries FnC (Kolon FnC) announced on the 12th that it will make a full-scale entry into the Chinese market, overseeing both the gear (equipment) and wear (apparel) businesses of global outdoor brand Helinox. The business will be run by Helinox China, a joint venture established by Kolon FnC and Helinox headquarters, through which the company said it has secured the rights to both the gear and apparel businesses in China.
In Korea, the brand operates under a dual structure, with Helinox headquarters handling gear and Kolon FnC handling apparel. In China, by contrast, a 'One Branding' strategy will bring gear and apparel together in a single store under the unified Helinox brand. The move also marks the first local launch of Helinox Wear, a line that translates the lightness, durability and innovation regarded as core to the brand's gear into apparel.
Since first launching Helinox Wear in Korea in October 2025, Kolon FnC has opened five stores in department stores and shopping complexes in key retail districts including Gangnam and Jamsil, and recently unveiled its first flagship store at Dosan Park. The 'Wearable Gear' lineup, which pairs Helinox's lightweight technology with Kolon FnC's apparel development expertise, champions a style that bridges outdoor and everyday wear. According to the company, September sales doubled compared with the previous month.
On the gear side, Kolon FnC has leveraged its Chinese distribution rights to operate an official store on Chinese online platform Tmall since the first half of 2025, engaging local consumers in tandem with its Xiaohongshu channel. The company said its Tmall operations delivered 114% sales growth in the first half of this year compared with the first half of 2025.
The brand's first offline foothold is Huanmao iapm, a high-end shopping mall in Shanghai. From October 10 to 27, Helinox is running the pop-up experiential project 'TAKE A SEAT SHANGHAI' in the mall's first-floor atrium. According to photos released by the company, a cycling event was also held to mark the pop-up's launch.
The pop-up showcases Helinox Wear's key lineup, centered on the 'Eclipse Pack Down Jacket' and 'Eclipse Pack Down Vest' from Edition 1, the starting point of the Edition series. The Eclipse Pack Down Jacket features a design composed of 30 modular panels. According to the company, the aesthetic identity and structural lightness expressed through this panel construction earned it the Best of the Best honor, the top prize in the product design category of the Red Dot Award 2026.
The pop-up also unveils a Helinox mug and chair sold exclusively in China. In addition, an 'Urban Theme Camp' has been set up as a companion space on nearby Nanchang Road through October 31, allowing visitors to experience Helinox's brand philosophy, 'At Home, Anywhere.'
"Through close collaboration with Helinox headquarters, we have concentrated in Helinox Kolon FnC's outdoor heritage built over more than 50 years, along with the capabilities that have made global luxury brands successful," a Kolon FnC official said. "Through Helinox, we aim to bring fresh momentum to China's outdoor and lifestyle market and present a new paradigm for the market."
Following the pop-up, Helinox plans to open permanent stores at iapm and ITC in succession in December. It then aims to expand to more than 30 stores by 2030, centered on major luxury shopping malls in Tier 1 cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, building a distribution network that spans online and offline channels. The Shanghai iapm pop-up runs through October 27, and the Nanchang Road Urban Theme Camp runs through October 31.
