Tai Lanis, a children’s shoe brand in mainland China, has recently sparked controversy due to an advertisement. The advertisement in question has been criticized for implying “office gift-giving”, with some of the brand’s children’s shoes priced at nearly 2000 yuan, attracting attention.
According to a report from “Time Finance” on May 14, Tai Lanis stirred controversy with an ad that read, “Give running shoes as gifts for work. I’ll take care of the little baby feet.” The advertisement also depicted a scenario where a consumer purchases a shoe card to gift to “Sister Wang”, which some netizens believe easily evokes scenes of office gift-giving and social exchanges.
A report from Jiangsu Net in China on May 13 also mentioned that Tai Lanis is promoting a shoe card consumption model, where consumers can purchase shoe cards to exchange for children’s shoes. The combination of the ad copy and the depiction of giving shoe cards has led to some netizens questioning the campaign.
In response to the controversy, Tai Lanis customer service told mainland media that the advertisement was officially released by the brand, and the shoe card annual card promotion has ended, making it unavailable for purchase through official channels.
As of the time of inquiry by mainland media, Tai Lanis’ flagship stores on Taobao and JD.com no longer have links or activities related to annual cards or shoe cards, as the official channels have removed such content.
This advertising controversy has also brought attention to the prices of Tai Lanis children’s shoes.
Tai Lanis specializes in “Steady Shoes” and “Running Shoes”. In May 2025, a limited edition MAX series Steady Shoe was priced at 1698 yuan, while in May 2026, the highest-priced item Ultra Running Shoes in its Tmall official flagship store was priced at 1939 yuan. Additionally, the store also offers several children’s shoe models priced at 1499 yuan.
“Time Finance” also mentioned that due to its higher prices, Tai Lanis has been dubbed by some netizens as the “Hermès of the children’s shoe industry”. However, a visit to their flagship store on Taobao reveals that the prices of some popular models mainly fall in the 200 to 300 yuan range.
As of the time of publication of related media reports, Tai Lanis had not issued a public statement regarding this advertising controversy.