Brand value has become a hard metric for measuring the transformation of the textile and apparel industry. The 2026 'China's 500 Most Valuable Brands' list sends a clear signal: the industry has collectively moved beyond the OEM dependency phase and entered a new stage where brand is the core competitiveness.
Data Perspective: Brand Value and Industrial Upgrading in Sync
The entry threshold for this year's list rose to 5.089 billion RMB, with the total value of listed brands reaching 45.29 trillion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 7.76%. Over 30 brands from the textile and apparel sector were included, covering the entire value chain from raw materials to finished garments, sportswear, and home textiles. Among them, eight brands—including Erdos, Hengli, Weiqiao, Bosideng, Jinba, Qipai, Anta, and Yueda—joined the hundred-billion club, forming the backbone of the industry's brand value.
What does this mean? The growth in brand value is no longer an isolated phenomenon for individual companies but a reflection of the overall improvement in the industry's asset quality. When hundred-billion-level brands expand from luxury and tech into traditional textiles, it signals a fundamental shift in market and consumer perception: brand premium is replacing cost advantage as the new profit driver.
AI Influence: A New Dimension of Brand Competition
This year's evaluation system included the AI Influence Index for the first time—a forward-looking change. In an era of algorithm-driven information distribution, brands that fail to establish a voice in the AI ecosystem risk losing traffic gateways. Professor Xu Jing from Peking University's Guanghua School of Management noted that future brand value will depend on whether a brand can become 'a mediator of trust, meaning, and emotion' within the AI ecosystem.
For textile and apparel companies, this means brand building is no longer limited to traditional advertising and channel distribution. Brands need to establish multi-dimensional digital footprints across social media, e-commerce platforms, and content communities, ensuring AI algorithms prioritize their products in recommendations. A high AI Influence Index directly correlates with a brand's visibility and conversion rate among younger consumers.
Industry Impact: From Manufacturing Strength to Brand Premium
The list data reflects deep changes within the industry. Over the past five years, textile and apparel exports have faced dual pressures from rising costs and order migration, but rising brand values have provided a buffer. For example, Erdos's brand value surpassing 100 billion RMB stems from its successful transformation of cashmere raw material advantages into high-end apparel brands; Anta has evolved from a sportswear manufacturer into a global sports goods group through multi-brand matrix and international operations.
For buyers and foreign trade companies, this means supply chain cooperation models need adjustment. Companies with high brand value have stronger bargaining power and prefer suppliers that offer value-added services such as design, fast response, and sustainability certifications. The model of relying solely on low prices is being phased out, replaced by deep collaboration based on brand trust.