Why the Adidas Chinese Track Top Is Everywhere in 2026

By Sandy Li-Truong 3 minute readUpdated October 2026
adidas CTT Chinese Track Top 3.1 'Ash Grey'

The Adidas Chinese Track Top — the CTT, the viral adidas Originals jacket that swaps its zip front for traditional pankou knot buttons — released in Greater China in December 2025, sold out across the planet by May, and is live on PUSHAS in four colourways, authenticated by hand. The live listing shows the current price.

The defining streetwear image of early 2026 wasn't a sneaker. It was a track jacket with frog buttons, filmed in thousands of TikTok fits and captioned like a souvenir from a trip home. A China-only adidas release became the jacket everyone outside China wanted — the rare piece that went global precisely because you couldn't have it.

Adidas Chinese Track Top at a glance

  • Brand: adidas Originals — designed by the brand's Shanghai-based design team
  • Known as: the CTT Chinese Track Top 3.1; adidas's US store sells it as the "Chinese New Year Jacket"
  • Released: December 2025, Greater China first; Europe February 2026; US May 2026
  • Design: Mandarin-style standing collar, pankou frog buttons over a hidden zip, 3-Stripes sleeves
  • Fabric: spacer fabric in 92% recycled polyester / 8% elastane, loose all-gender fit
  • On PUSHAS: four colourways, Asia sizing XS–4XL

A jacket designed for China that the world claimed

The CTT came out of adidas's Shanghai design studio as a domestic-market piece: take the classic Originals track jacket, remove the visible zip, and close it with pankou — the knotted fabric buttons of traditional Chinese dress — under a standing collar. A functional zip hides behind the buttons, so the costume is traditional and the convenience is modern. The current version debuted at Shanghai Fashion Week in October 2025 and released in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan in December. It wasn't supposed to be a global product. Then Lunar New Year content season arrived.

Adidas CTT Chinese Track Top 3.1 Dark Grey with pankou frog buttons front view

Why it's everywhere in 2026

The jacket rode two waves at once. In China, it fit the xinzhongshi ("new Chinese style") movement — heritage codes worn as contemporary fashion. Globally, it became the uniform of the "Chinesemaxxing" meme cycle, with diaspora creators flying home and returning with jackets their followers couldn't buy. CNN reported adidas stores across China selling out. Each region adidas added just reset the frenzy: Europe got stock in February 2026; the US release on 1 May sold out almost immediately and pushed buyers into app-only pre-orders, with a restock following on 15 May. Then Manchester United walked out in a custom grey version before a match on 9 May, and the cycle started again — this time with football fans in it.

The four colourways on PUSHAS

Colourway Look
Oat Warm neutral — the tonal fit-builder
Ash Grey Cool light grey, quietest of the four
Collegiate Burgundy The statement — deep red, reads most traditional
Dark Grey The everyday pick — closest to the Man United custom

All four in Asia sizing from XS to 4XL — the cut runs loose, so most buyers stay true to size for the intended relaxed fit.

Adidas CTT Chinese Track Top 3.1 Collegiate Burgundy colourway
Adidas CTT Chinese Track Top 3.1 Oat colourway with knot buttons
Adidas CTT Chinese Track Top 3.1 Ash Grey colourway

Where to buy the CTT in Australia & worldwide

All four colourways are live now: Dark Grey, Collegiate Burgundy, Oat and Ash Grey — every piece brand new and authenticated by hand, so you can shop with confidence, with global shipping from Sydney and Los Angeles. Browse the full adidas collection or see what else is moving in Trending.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Adidas Chinese Track Top?

An adidas Originals track jacket designed in Shanghai that replaces the visible zip with traditional pankou knot buttons under a Mandarin-style standing collar — a functional zip sits hidden behind them. It's nicknamed the "Tang jacket" and listed by adidas's US store as the Chinese New Year Jacket.

Why did the Adidas CTT go viral?

It released only in Greater China in December 2025, just before Lunar New Year content season. TikTok and Instagram clips of the jacket — many tied to the "new Chinese style" trend — turned a domestic release into a global want, and CNN reported Chinese stores selling out as overseas buyers chased it.

What sizes does the CTT come in?

The version on PUSHAS is the original Asia release in Asia sizing, XS through 4XL, in an all-gender loose cut. The fit is designed to be relaxed, so most buyers stay true to size.

Is the jacket on PUSHAS the real Asia release?

Yes — PUSHAS lists the original Asia-release CTT 3.1, brand new and authenticated by hand.

Sandy Li-Truong
for PUSHAS. Shop with confidence.