Clothing, food, housing, and transportation—clothing and housing take the top spot. From Chinese national style and trendy brands to technological fabrics and handcrafted luxury goods, textiles and apparel have long gone beyond "basic necessities," becoming an important vehicle for quality consumption.

The "Expansion of Consumption '15th Five-Year Plan'" proposes expanding textile and apparel consumption and supporting the textile and apparel industry to develop towards the mid-to-high end. China is a major textile and apparel producing country, with the total processing of textile fibers accounting for over half of the global share; in 2025, the national retail sales of apparel, shoes, hats, and needle and woven textile products exceeding the limit will surpass 1.5 trillion yuan. Based on this, how can textile and apparel consumption be expanded? How can the leap to the mid-to-high end be achieved?

Building the world's largest and most complete apparel industry

From getting a custom-made suit on Xiushui Street in Beijing; to selecting a cheongsam at the light textile market on the South Bund in Shanghai; to browsing trendy fast-fashion brands on Tianhe Road in Guangzhou... buying clothes has become an important stop for many foreign tourists visiting China.

Traveling thousands of miles, why are they willing to dedicate their precious time and luggage space to Chinese clothing?

Located on the extension of Chang'an Street in Beijing, the Xiushui Street Building, English name Silk Street, is named after silk. Today, textiles and apparel still account for nearly half of the store space in the building. In 2020, Xiushui Street launched an upgrade and renovation, hoping to present the best Chinese products to foreign consumers. To this end, Dong Qing, president of Beijing Xiushui Street Commercial Management Co., Ltd., traveled to twenty to thirty apparel industry belts across the country. After researching them one by one, she found that many Chinese factories have long cooperated with international major brands and possess top-tier production and manufacturing processes. Their product quality and comfort are completely comparable to excellent overseas products.

"When we came back, we decisively decided to sell mid-to-high-end products." Dong Qing said. Today, the production capacity and level of China's textile industry have greatly improved. Supported by massive capacity and the supply chain, textile and apparel products have a prominent cost-performance advantage. For example, when many foreign consumers come to buy silk scarves, they don't buy them one by one, but dozens or even hundreds, because the quality and price of the products are right here.

China's textile industry has a thousand-year heritage, and after years of accumulation, its achievements are remarkable. Let's look at some data: according to the China Textile Industry and Equipment Association, from 2021 to 2024, the annual scale of China's total textile and fiber processing has remained above 60 million tons, accounting for over half of the global share; the output of chemical fibers accounts for more than 75% of the world's share; and the total capacity of high-performance fibers accounts for over one-third of the world's share.

China has built the world's largest and most complete apparel industry. From colors, fibers, and yarns to fabrics, apparel, and home textiles, tens of thousands of enterprises cover all links of the industry chain, effectively meeting the diversified and multi-level application demands of the global market. Industry data shows that China produces over 70 billion pieces of apparel annually, accounting for more than half of the global share; and its export value accounts for about 30% of the total global apparel exports.

Standing on this industrial foundation, Dong Qing is full of confidence in the textile and apparel business on Xiushui Street. Like a small window, today, over 100 Chinese designers, industrial belts, and original independent brands have gathered here. When foreign tourists come here, they can find not only neckties and suits but also uniquely charming Chinese-style formal wear. A store of an original home textile brand has been located on Xiushui Street for over 20 years, and its products are sold far and wide in more than 60 countries and regions. Some foreign tourists visit again after more than 10 years and still cherish the store's old business cards; some consumers return to China and place overseas orders, having the products shipped to their homes...

Data from the China Textile Industry and Equipment Association shows that the proportion of independent brands among major large-scale commercial entities in China reaches about 85%, and the consumption of original trend brands accounts for over 15%. "The Chinese textile industry has overall entered the world's top tier, and is entering a new stage of transformation from 'following and running' to 'leading comprehensively', and from 'large and comprehensive' to 'strong and resilient'," said Sun Ruizhe, President of the China Textile Industry and Equipment Association, at the 2025 Textile Conference.

Consumer demands are more diversified and more discerning

How many clothes did you buy in the past year? How much did you spend on textiles and apparel every year?

In 2025, the retail sales of apparel, shoes, hats, and needle and textile products in China with a limit of 152.15 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.2%. Looking at the scale, this is already a large market of over 1.5 trillion yuan. What is the driving force behind expanding textile and apparel consumption?

"The textile industry chain is long and covers a wide area, acting as the 'capillaries' that facilitate a smooth economic cycle and the 'vital water' that nourishes the momentum of domestic demand." Sun Ruizhe said that textiles and apparel have an inherent attribute of essential demand and anti-cyclical resilience. The basic clothing needs of over 1.4 billion people have always been an important support for the domestic demand system.

Today, textile and apparel consumption has long gone beyond the scope of "essential demand"—

On the one hand, more and more consumers hope to "buy well" and "wear well," paying more attention to materials, craftsmanship, and design.

From paying attention to the minute difference in cashmere content, to studying the professional coefficient of waterproof and breathable index, and to making detailed comparisons of skin-friendliness and wear resistance, "parameter consumption" has become an important trend.

Huang Yuxiang is the general manager of Zhejiang Tongxiang Heying Apparel Co., Ltd. The company mainly focuses on wool and cashmere apparel, and its performance has maintained growth over the past four years. Currently, Huang Yuxiang is busy stocking the company's online autumn new products and delivering offline orders, while also starting the product development work for next summer. Having served as a "second-generation factory heir" for four years, she has found that the acceptance and popularity of wool and cashmere products among domestic consumers are gradually increasing.

For example, wool and cashmere products are originally the mainstays of the autumn and winter seasons, but now they are extending to summer. Opening social media platforms, wool has become a newly emerging "three-piece set" for summer. Some consumers exclaim: "Wool can now be made as thin, sheer, and comfortable as gauze." Furthermore, while middle-aged and elderly consumers used to prefer wool products, more and more young consumers in their twenties and thirties are now also buying them. The expansion of product categories and the diversification of consumer groups have brought a larger market to the relatively ordinary wool products.

On the other hand, skiing, outdoor activities, age-friendly design... the expansion of textile and apparel consumption scenarios is continuously opening up development space.

Summer surfing, winter skiing, hiking, and cross-country racing—buying equipment has become the first step for many consumers to "fall into" new hobbies. High-performance professional equipment such as ski wear and windbreakers forms the material basis for scene experiences. In addition, within the landscape of the trillion-yuan silver economy and the health and wellness industry, age-friendly textiles equipped with health monitoring, smart interaction, and environmental response functions have also become a key support and service carrier. Consumers' demand for textiles and apparel is becoming increasingly diversified, continuously opening up imaginative space.

In the eyes of industry insiders, the textile and apparel industry will continue to expand its supply of high-quality products in the future. It is necessary to deepen market research, increase product variety, improve quality, and create brands, developing products suitable for the elderly and children, as well as fashionable and trendy items, to precisely match the needs of different groups. At the same time, it is necessary to enhance the functional, intelligent, and distinctive levels of products around new consumption patterns such as sports, health, and outdoor activities.

"Today, consumers are increasingly able to identify what makes a good product," said Huang Yuxiang. From the perspective of ready-to-wear, it comes down to fabric and craftsmanship. As long as one of them reaches the top 10% in the industry, the product's sales will definitely not be poor.

New technologies, new materials, new processes, and new designs

By observing daily life, it is not difficult to notice the new changes in the textile and apparel industry in recent years. Walking on the streets, there are more and more men and women of all ages wearing various national-style clothing, and "New Chinese style" is becoming popular. In daily wear, fabrics with main features such as sun protection, windproofing, and quick-drying are being applied more and more widely, and the "tech feel" of clothing is becoming stronger.

As the textile and apparel industry develops towards the mid-to-high end, what are the key focus areas for enterprises?

In technology——

In the past, people's impression of cotton was limited to characteristics such as softness and warmth. But today, cotton can also possess multiple functions such as breathability, cooling, quick-drying, antibacterial, and sun protection. Visiting the All Cotton Era stores, products such as breathable air-crepe yarn and water-shine cotton with built-in cooling and elasticity further enrich consumers' perceptions of cotton. Behind the products is the continuous R&D of all-cotton technology.

"For example, for all-cotton sports quick-drying fabrics, we spent more than three years from the initial project and R&D to mass production," explained a relevant person in charge of All Cotton Era. The company has established an all-cotton functional R&D team, collaborating with universities, national testing institutions, and downstream supply chains to tackle challenges step by step, from yarn to weaving, and then to dyeing and finishing processes. During this period, they went through hundreds of sample tests, equipment modifications, and real-life scenario tests, iterating repeatedly before finally realizing the product.

"Nowadays, consumers prefer natural and environmentally friendly fabrics, especially with the popularization of light sports and urban outdoor activities, they hope that clothes can be both sun-protective and quick-drying, while also being pure cotton and skin-friendly. Functional and green and environmentally friendly fabrics are becoming the key to differentiated competition," said the aforementioned person in charge. The high-end development of cotton products relies on continuous breakthroughs in material technology. The company will continue to innovate to meet user needs with high-quality all-cotton products.

The textile and apparel industry is a typical traditional industry, but traditional does not mean backward. With the deepening of modernization, the industry is also keeping pace with the times and developing vigorously. "Improving the quality and modifying the design at the raw material end, transforming the manufacturing end into a digital, intelligent, and green industry, and making the product end reach the heavens and the earth," said Sun Ruizhe. In the systematic integration of new technologies, new materials, new processes, and new designs, the textile industry has formed a high-quality development attribute of "science and technology, fashion, green, and health."

In fashion—

Embroidered vests paired with jeans, shirts paired with cloud brocade skirts, and layering a Xiangyunsha cheongsam with a suit jacket... Today, the national style, represented by new Chinese-style clothing, is leading the new fashion trend in dressing, and further fueling a consumption hotspot worth hundreds of billions of yuan. In 2024, the market size of national style apparel exceeded 220 billion yuan. Industry reports show that clothing, shoes, and home decorations are the national style products that surveyed young people are most willing to purchase, and the 25-to-34 age group is the main consumer group for new Chinese-style clothing.

From niche aesthetics to everyday mass consumption, behind the "breaking the circle" of national style apparel is a batch of Chinese designers who have transformed cultural symbols into a fashion language, organically integrated Eastern aesthetics with modern design, and continuously improved product quality and brand value. Led by fashion, intangible cultural heritage and ethnic techniques such as Xiangyunsha, Song brocade, and Miao embroidery are accelerating their integration into modern production systems and entering the wardrobes of ordinary people.

"With the development of the social and economic environment, consumers' demand for clothing containing elements of traditional Chinese culture is growing increasingly strong," said Chen Dapeng, President of the China Apparel Association, during an interview with the media. Against this backdrop, the global influence of Chinese fashion design is steadily increasing, and a cultural consumption trend characterized by Eastern aesthetics is taking shape. The rise of national style has become the starting point for the Chinese apparel industry to transform from following to creating, and in the future, it will become an important growth point for the industry's development, as well as an important direction for the industry to achieve new value creation.

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