The total value of the top 500 brands reached RMB 45.29 trillion, up 7.76% year-on-year, with the entry threshold rising to RMB 5.089 billion. These are the core figures from the 2026 China 500 Most Valuable Brands report released by World Brand Lab. In this ranking, over 30 brands from the textile and apparel sector made the list, with eight—including Erdos, Hengli, Weiqiao, Bosideng, JINBAO, Septwolves, Anta, and Yueda—crossing the billion-yuan threshold. This confirms that textile and apparel has become one of the highest-value industry segments, with the number of listed brands firmly in the top five among all sectors.
The Deep Logic Behind Brand Value Growth
The expansion of billion-yuan brands to 146 signals a systemic increase in the asset quality of Chinese brands. For the textile and apparel industry, the message is clear: the sector has moved beyond competing solely on low-cost OEM. The list covers the entire value chain, from raw material producers (Hengli, Weiqiao) and garment manufacturers (HLA, Yalu) to sportswear (Anta, Li-Ning, 361°) and home textiles (Shuixing, Mengjie). This full-chain branding indicates that industrial competitiveness is shifting from manufacturing to brand equity.
A notable change this year is the inclusion of the AI Influence Index in the evaluation system. Professor Xu Jing from Peking University's Guanghua School of Management noted that in the digital age, a brand is no longer a static knowledge structure in consumers' minds but a complex system maintained by consumers, platforms, algorithms, content, and communities. For textile and apparel companies, this means the core challenge of brand management has fundamentally shifted: from 'how to increase brand equity' to 'how to remain a trusted intermediary and a source of meaning under new technological conditions.'
AI Influence Is Reshaping Brand Competition Rules
Ding Haisen, CEO of World Executive Group, put it bluntly: future brand competition is no longer just about capturing the mental ladder of consumers but about etching an indelible mark in the algorithmic map of AI. Whoever holds greater sway in the AI ecosystem will grasp the digital key to brand value explosion in the next decade.
This judgment is particularly relevant for the textile and apparel industry. Traditionally, brand communication in this sector relied heavily on offline channels and visual exposure. However, in AI-driven decision-making paths, the consumer's purchase journey is drastically shortened. AI Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is becoming the de facto gatekeeper of traffic. A brand's technical visibility, omnichannel reach, and even its frequency in large-model training data will directly impact brand valuation.
Looking at the brands on the list, sportswear and functional apparel brands like Anta, Li-Ning, and Bosideng have been more proactive in digital and AI ecosystems. Anta has continuously invested in digital supply chains and consumer data platforms, while Li-Ning has maintained high-frequency brand exposure on social media and content ecosystems. These moves are translating into influence in the AI ecosystem—higher AI influence means these brands have successfully crossed the barriers of traditional search engines.
A New Industry Landscape Driven by Four Engines
Behind the list data lies a profound transformation in the textile and apparel industry. Technological innovation, cultural empowerment, green and low-carbon practices, and globalized operations—these four driving forces are redefining brand value.
In terms of technological innovation, raw material giants like Hengli and Weiqiao are converting investments in functional fibers and green dyeing technologies into brand premiums. On the cultural front, brands like JINBAO and Septwolves have built differentiated recognition among younger consumers through intangible cultural heritage collaborations and guochao (national trend) designs. Green and low-carbon practices have become hard indicators for brand valuation; Erdos's investments in a sustainable cashmere supply chain directly enhance the quality of its brand assets. In globalized operations, brands like Bosideng and Anta, through overseas channel expansion and brand acquisitions, are pushing Chinese textile and apparel brands up the global value chain.