The parent company, Shenzhen Jianzhi Technology, was established in 2012, with Beneunder launching as its first major consumer brand the following year.2

2013: The “Little Black Umbrella”

Beneunder’s history began in 2013 when founders Ma Long and Lin Ze entered the sun-protection market with a compact, double-layer black umbrella. Rather than treating the umbrella solely as a rain shield, Beneunder emphasized UV protection, portability, materials technology, and aesthetic design. Its inaugural proprietary technology was the L.R.C. coating, developed specifically for enhanced sun protection. This distinction positioned Beneunder as a purveyor of urban lifestyle products rather than traditional outdoor equipment. The company cites this first black umbrella as the starting point for over a decade of experimentation in outdoor protection.3

2014–2016: Technology and Retail Expansion

During this period, Beneunder established an R&D laboratory and broadened its technological focus beyond UV protection. Its early product development framework expanded to include:

• Anti-UV: Protection from ultraviolet radiation
• Anti-Hot: Heat protection and cooling
• Anti-Water: Rain and water resistance
• Anti-Cold: Thermal protection
• Anti-Strain/Burden: Reducing discomfort associated with carrying or wearing products

Concurrently, the company transitioned from a purely online commerce model toward physical retail, opening its first major offline flagship store in Shanghai in 2016.4

A pivotal stage in Beneunder’s development was its expansion from umbrellas into apparel. The company gradually introduced a wide range of wearable products, including sun-protection jackets, sleeves, hats, face coverings, shawls, tights, outdoor trousers, cooling garments, thermal clothing, shoes, and various accessories. This diversification allowed Beneunder to transform from a specialized sun-protection accessories maker into a broader functional fashion business.

According to IPO materials, apparel revenue grew significantly; while clothing represented only a small portion of the business in the late 2010s, it had become a major category by 2021–2022. In the first half of 2022 alone, clothing accounted for approximately 35.8% of total revenue. Today, Beneunder is no longer primarily defined as an umbrella company.

In 2022, Beneunder formally introduced the concept of “lightweight outdoor” (轻量化户外). Instead of framing outdoor life as an activity requiring expensive technical equipment, extreme sports, or long-distance travel, Beneunder posits that outdoor living can be seamlessly integrated into daily routines. Its official philosophy presents outdoor activities as a continuum:

Home → Neighborhood → City → Suburbs → Mountains/Outdoors

Under this framework, commuting, visiting parks, playing sports, golfing, or simply spending time outside are all considered valid outdoor scenarios.5 The company’s slogan, “天地间，肩并肩” (Side by side beneath the sky), reflects its goal to make outdoor life feel easy, social, comfortable, and everyday rather than extreme or intimidating.6

Beneunder’s philosophy is anchored in three core pillars:

Protection

The brand’s original DNA is protection from environmental conditions. Rather than competing directly with traditional technical outdoor companies on mountaineering or extreme sports gear, Beneunder addresses everyday outdoor challenges such as strong sunlight, heat, sweat, rain, wind, cold, physical burden, and insects. The company organizes these solutions under its AntiTec technological platform.

Lightweight

“Lightweight” refers not only to product weight but also to lowering the psychological and practical barriers to outdoor activities. While traditional outdoor culture often implies a need for technical equipment, preparation, expertise, and physical challenge, Beneunder interprets it as comfortable clothing, convenient protection, everyday mobility, and enjoyment. This approach makes the brand particularly relevant to urban consumers.

Lifestyle

Beneunder aims to sell a lifestyle rather than just functional products. Its positioning in China has evolved from sun protection to outdoor protection, then to urban outdoor, and finally to a lightweight outdoor lifestyle. This evolution remains central to its brand strategy.7

Beneunder’s current portfolio extends well beyond its original umbrella business.

Sun Protection

This remains one of the brand’s strongest categories, featuring UV-protection jackets, sun sleeves, sun hats, capes, UV umbrellas, and face coverings. Product technology incorporates specialized fibers, coatings, and material structures designed for UV defense.8

Functional Apparel

The apparel business includes outdoor jackets, cooling clothing, long-sleeve tops, trousers, leggings, thermal underwear, sportswear, and travel clothing. International marketing currently emphasizes travel, golf, tennis, cooling apparel, and everyday outdoor sets.

Accessories and Footwear

The brand offers umbrellas, hats, sunglasses, sleeves, bags, and other outdoor accessories. As Beneunder broadened its interpretation of outdoor life, it also expanded into footwear and personal products, which are now listed alongside clothing and umbrellas in its corporate profile.9

Technology serves as a primary differentiator for Beneunder.

L.R.C. Technology

Originally developed for sun-protection umbrellas, the L.R.C. coating has since been adapted for both umbrellas and apparel. Newer iterations use specially controlled particles and titanium-based materials to block UV, visible light, and infrared radiation while providing heat insulation.

Specialized Fibers

Beneunder develops proprietary textile structures, such as its “cloud” yarn technology. This uses a specially shaped fiber cross-section intended to reflect UV radiation from multiple angles, designed to maintain sun-protection performance after repeated washing.10

AntiTec System

Rather than presenting isolated inventions, Beneunder organizes its R&D under the AntiTec concept. The current portfolio covers protection against sun, heat, sweat, humidity, rain, wind, fatigue, insects, and cold, forming a complete product system for outdoor protection.

Beneunder exemplifies China’s new consumer-brand, direct-to-consumer (DTC) model.

E-commerce

The brand built its initial base through Chinese online platforms, particularly Tmall. By the end of 2021, Beneunder reported over 7.5 million paying customers on Tmall, with a repurchase rate of approximately 46.5%.11

Content Marketing

Growth has been driven heavily by social media, influencers, livestream commerce, KOL/KOC marketing, lifestyle photography, and product demonstrations. This visual-first approach proved effective for demonstrating the functional advantages of sun-protection clothing.

Offline Retail

The company subsequently invested in physical retail, with its store count exceeding 300 in 2023. This creates an omnichannel ecosystem linking social media, e-commerce, and physical stores, rather than relying exclusively on traditional department store distribution.

Beneunder emerged as one of China’s most prominent new consumer brands in the late 2010s and early 2020s. According to Hong Kong IPO materials, 2021 revenue reached approximately RMB 2.41 billion, with adjusted profit of roughly RMB 136 million.

IPO disclosures detailed the 2021 revenue breakdown by category:

This growth demonstrates the successful transformation of a niche sun-protection umbrella business into a comprehensive lifestyle enterprise.

Beneunder attracted significant attention during its attempt to list in Hong Kong. The company submitted its IPO application in April 2022, seeking capital for product innovation, R&D, brand development, omnichannel retail, and overseas expansion. At the time, it was viewed as a potential bellwether for China’s new consumer-brand sector.

However, the proposed listing faced scrutiny regarding high marketing expenditures and profitability relative to revenue growth. The process ultimately did not result in a completed Hong Kong listing, and Beneunder should not be described as a publicly listed Hong Kong company.

Ma Long (马龙)

Ma Long is a co-founder and CEO of Beneunder. He studied polymer materials and engineering at East China University of Science and Technology, bringing experience in product development and brand creation. His background in materials science aligns with the company’s emphasis on fabrics and functional engineering. The company describes him as an outdoor enthusiast who approaches development from a user perspective.12

Lin Ze (林泽)

Lin Ze is the other co-founder and serves as president. He holds a master’s degree in information and communications engineering from Zhejiang University and previously worked at Nokia Siemens Networks. His role focuses on business strategy, marketing, channels, and the DTC model.13

Together, the founders combine expertise in product/materials/technology (Ma Long) with business/channels/consumer strategy (Lin Ze).

Beneunder has invested substantially in celebrity marketing. Notably, Jay Chou (周杰伦) became a brand ambassador in March 2023, with the company leveraging his broad public recognition to support its mass-market outdoor positioning.

This appointment signaled a shift in brand image. Early marketing was strongly associated with women, sun protection, summer, and UV defense. The newer positioning seeks to appeal to men, women, families, travelers, athletes, and urban outdoor enthusiasts alike.

Beneunder’s original customer base consisted largely of young urban women interested in sun protection, beauty, fashion, travel, and commuting. The company has since broadened its audience to include men, children, families, casual outdoor enthusiasts, golf and tennis players, and urban commuters. Current corporate profiles explicitly state that the product range covers women, children, and men.14

Beneunder occupies a distinct middle ground in the market. It is not a traditional fashion brand, as functionality and protection are central to its value proposition. Nor is it a hardcore outdoor brand focused on mountaineering or extreme expeditions.

Its niche can be described as “technical functionality for ordinary outdoor life,” a positioning that aligns with the growing urban outdoor trend in China.

Beneunder has begun presenting itself as an international brand. Its global website uses the English name Beneunder and markets products around concepts such as travel, golf, tennis, summer activities, cooling, and everyday commuting.15

Internationally, the messaging is less centered on the specific Chinese concept of “lightweight outdoor” and more on universally understandable themes of comfortable outdoor living and sun protection. This effectively translates its domestic urban-outdoor proposition into a functional lifestyle and travel-oriented offering for global markets.

The Chinese name 蕉下 literally translates to “under the banana leaf.” This imagery symbolizes shade and shelter from the sun. According to the brand, the name represents the feeling of being under a banana leaf: cool, relaxed, and comfortable.16 This connects directly to the product strategy: banana leaf → shade → protection → comfort → outdoor enjoyment. The English name Beneunder appears to be a stylized international identity rather than a literal translation.

Several factors explain Beneunder’s rise:

1. Identifying an Underserved Category: The brand transformed sun protection from a commodity (umbrellas/sunscreen) into a fashion, technology, and lifestyle category.
2. Making Functionality Fashionable: By emphasizing function, appearance, and portability, products became easier to integrate into everyday outfits.
3. E-commerce Mastery: Growth coincided with the explosion of Tmall, social commerce, Xiaohongshu, livestreaming, and KOL marketing, allowing faster scaling than traditional offline brands.
4. Horizontal Expansion: Expertise in sun protection facilitated a natural extension from umbrellas to hats, sleeves, clothing, footwear, and broader lifestyle goods.
5. Redefining “Outdoor”: By validating everyday activities as outdoor life, Beneunder addressed a significantly larger potential market than traditional outdoor brands.

Despite rapid growth, Beneunder faces several challenges:

Marketing Dependence

Analysts have noted substantial marketing expenditure relative to profitability. Heavy reliance on digital marketing and influencer channels raises questions about sustainability as customer acquisition costs rise.

Category Competition

Beneunder competes simultaneously with Chinese sportswear companies, traditional outdoor brands, international sportswear giants, fast-fashion retailers, specialized sun-protection brands, and emerging lifestyle brands. Maintaining distinctive positioning amidst this competition remains critical.

Brand Stretching

Expansion into virtually every aspect of outdoor clothing challenges brand clarity. As categories multiply, defining what Beneunder uniquely stands for becomes more complex. The company’s answer has increasingly shifted toward “lightweight outdoor” rather than solely sun protection.

As of 2026, Beneunder’s official positioning is that of a lightweight outdoor lifestyle company, retaining sun protection as a core area of expertise. Its international website emphasizes travel, cooling, golf, tennis, and everyday outdoor clothing, while its Chinese site presents the broader AntiTec technology system. The company describes its philosophy as helping people go outdoors more easily without heavy or complicated equipment.

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14. 轻量化户外，防晒必不可少 蕉下与品牌代言… 来自蕉下Beneunder – 微博
15. Beneunder: Embrace Your Wild Side 🔥 | Milled
16. sec.gov