"A One-of-a-Kind Luxury Item"... The Viral 'Fake Bag' That Even Moved Nike

A Mother Embroiders the Logo for Her Son Amid Financial Hardship
Nike Praises the "Amazing Embroidery" and Offers a Gift

A story about a Chinese mother who could not afford to buy a Nike bag for her son and instead embroidered a floral Nike logo herself has become a major topic of discussion online. Moved by the heartfelt embroidery, Nike left a message of encouragement through its official account and announced it would send a gift.

A Chinese mother who could not afford to buy a Nike bag for her son embroidered the Nike logo herself. Douyin screenshot

The South China Morning Post reported on September 25 (local time) that a 23-year-old man named Liu from Shanxi Province, China, received significant attention after posting a photo of his school bag on social media.

The photo showed a red bag with a large Nike logo embroidered in a floral pattern. Liu recalled that when he was in middle school, all his friends carried genuine Nike bags, but his family’s financial situation was such that he could not even afford a bag costing about 300 yuan (approximately 59,000 won).

His mother, Ms. Zhang, hand-stitched the Nike logo for him. As a seamstress, she spent the night decorating the floral logo, pouring her deep affection into making sure her son could have the bag he wanted, no matter what.

Liu said, "Ever since I was young, my mother made my clothes herself," adding, "I was so proud of the unique logo that I would tell everyone I met that my mom had embroidered it for me."

This story sparked an explosive response on social media. The post received about 8.6 million 'likes' and over 500,000 comments, with many people expressing how moved they were by the mother’s love, calling it "a one-of-a-kind luxury item" and "the most beautiful Nike logo I’ve ever seen." Some netizens even suggested, "It would be great if Nike launched a new series based on this."

Nike headquarters also responded directly to the story. Nike commented on the post, "That is truly amazing embroidery," and added, "A mother’s love gives us the courage to take on challenges. Please contact us, as we have a gift for your mother."

Given Nike’s reputation for being sensitive about trademark rights, some netizens jokingly wondered if the gift might be a lawsuit for trademark infringement. However, most people reacted positively, saying, "Nike really handled this well."