A 'three-in-one' woolen event has once again placed Dalang at the center of the global knitwear industry. The 95th International Wool Textile Conference, the 23rd 'Knitwear Fair', and the 10th Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage Conference concluded simultaneously, delivering 3.6 billion yuan in intended deals over three days. The number of buyers reached 35,000, up 16% year-on-year, while intended transaction value increased by 18.5%. These figures reflect the accelerated transformation of the traditional knitwear industry along three tracks: smart manufacturing, green transformation, and cultural empowerment.
Commercial Heat Behind Industrial Logic
The growth in buyer numbers is no coincidence. Top domestic brands such as Huimei Fashion, UR, and SHEIN arrived in groups, while buyers from over 20 countries and regions including Russia, France, and Poland traveled across oceans. This underscores Dalang's strengthening role as a global knitwear sourcing hub. Data from two dedicated matchmaking events is even more compelling: the 'Dalang Knitwear-Brand Apparel Sourcing Matchmaking' secured over 20 collaborations worth 30 million yuan on the spot, while the 'Chain on Dalang, Weaving the Future' production-sales matchmaking added another 20 million yuan in intended orders. These precise connections indicate that buyers are no longer satisfied with simple product procurement but seek end-to-end collaboration from design to delivery.
For factories, this shift means an evolving order structure. Small-batch, quick-response (SQR) and flexible production are no longer concepts but tangible competitive advantages at the exhibition. With the popularization of integral forming technology, traditional pattern-making steps have been replaced by 3D digital modeling, drastically compressing the design-to-product cycle. Exhibitors showcased functional knitwear such as waterproof, stain-resistant, anti-static, temperature-regulating, and cooling yarns certified by Japan's cooling standards, directly addressing end consumers' demand for performance fabrics. When selecting products, functional parameters are becoming as important as price for buyers.
Resonance of Green Transformation and Cultural Empowerment
The International Wool Textile Organization globally launched the Wool Green Paper at this event, covering topics like regenerative grazing and traceability systems. What does this mean for Dalang and the global wool supply chain? On the raw material side, green certification will gradually become a market access requirement for exports to Europe. On the production side, traceability systems require factories to provide carbon footprint data in dyeing and finishing processes. In-depth discussions among industry representatives from over 20 countries are essentially setting new rules for global supply chain coordination.
The inclusion of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) elements has added soft value to the hardcore industry. Designer Wang Dong embroidered the unicorn pattern of ICH inheritor Wan Gongxue into 36 original fashion pieces, with all design and garment production completed in Dalang. This 'localized' cultural fusion is breaking the homogenization trap of knitwear products. For buyers, product lines with ICH elements offer differentiated pricing opportunities in overseas markets. For factories, taking such orders means building cross-disciplinary design collaboration capabilities.
Practical Paths for Industrial Cluster Upgrading
Dalang Town has clarified its next steps: accelerating the construction of the 'Dalang Knitwear Valley·Greater Bay Area Woolen Living Room' and the 'Industry-to-Industry' renovation project in Xiangtou. This is not simple capacity expansion but a restructuring of the industrial ecosystem. Digitalization, intelligence, and branding are identified as three transformation directions, targeting a 100-billion-yuan industry scale. Based on this event's transaction data, this goal has realistic support—3.6 billion yuan in intended deals from just three exhibition days, with full-year order conversion rates worth watching.