With annual transactions exceeding 20 billion yuan and tens of thousands of business entities, Honghe knitwear industry in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, has built a solid foundation over decades. However, the signals from the 2026 Meimei Honghe Sweater Season are clear: this traditional cluster is no longer satisfied with volume growth. Instead, it aims to integrate domestic and foreign trade systems using airport proximity and digital services.
Background
The Honghe Knitwear Integrated Domestic and Foreign Trade Service Center was officially launched on the third floor of Zhongchuang Market, covering approximately 4,000 square meters. The trade section alone occupies 1,200 square meters, with zones divided by target markets including Japan/Korea, Middle East, South America, and Russia-Europe-Central Asia. This move indicates a shift from indiscriminate exporting to market-specific preparation.
The center offers more than product display. Its service section includes an in-house R&D center, third-party quality inspection, customs clearance, logistics, tax services, and AR digital tools. The brand section provides intellectual property guidance and overseas risk warnings. The incubation section categorizes support for individual workshops, small enterprises, and larger companies. This structure addresses a key pain point: Honghe knitwear has long competed on low prices with limited added value.
Geographically, the Jiaxing Nanhu Airport international cargo routes are operational, and the airport city is developing rapidly. For knitwear products with strong seasonality and fast-response requirements, airport logistics can compress delivery times far beyond traditional sea freight—a hard advantage over inland clusters.
Industrial Impact
For buyers, the selection center divided by overseas markets reduces communication costs for factory inspections and product selection. Previously, overseas clients had to visit numerous scattered factories; now they can compare products across multiple markets on one floor. More critically, changes on the supply side mean orders are shifting from original equipment manufacturing to co-development, offering buyers access to differentiated products tailored to local needs.
The ripple effects are noteworthy. The Maoshanpai cross-border e-commerce platform has organized over 200 enterprises to explore more than ten countries, attracting nearly a thousand overseas buyers to Honghe. These numbers indicate a shift from passive waiting to active going-global. When 200 enterprises collaborate abroad, individual small and medium enterprises face lower barriers and reduced risks.
Industry experts highlighted transformation directions with broad relevance: first, leveraging airport advantages to streamline customs, logistics, and overseas warehousing; second, using AI design, digital marketing, and small-batch quick-response manufacturing to boost added value; third, upgrading professional markets from trading venues to empowerment platforms. This logic fundamentally reverses the traditional "produce-then-sell" model to consumer-driven production.
For factories, the tiered incubation system implies differentiated paths. Individual workshops address compliance, small enterprises focus on digital transformation, and larger companies pursue globalization. This tiered approach avoids the pain of uniform transformation. However, challenges persist: shifting from selling products to brands requires sustained investment in design, intellectual property, and channel development—not every enterprise has the patience to endure this period.
Practical Recommendations
For Buyers - Prioritize overseas market zones in the selection center to quickly match suppliers and shorten factory inspection cycles. - Leverage R&D and quality inspection services; consider small trial orders in Honghe to test rapid replenishment via airport logistics. - Use the IP warning mechanism to check infringement risks before purchasing to avoid overseas losses.
For Foreign Trade Enterprises - Incorporate air freight into delivery planning and combine with overseas warehouses for quick-response orders to enhance competitiveness. - Utilize customs, logistics, and overseas warehouse resources to reduce compliance costs for small and medium orders. - Participate in tiered incubation programs and apply for digital or brand support based on enterprise stage to avoid going it alone.
With 20 billion yuan in transactions meeting airport economy and digital tools, Honghe knitwear's transformation is essentially a collective breakout from low-price involution. Its success or failure will not only affect one cluster but may also provide a replicable model for professional market upgrades nationwide.