One out of every five sweaters in the world comes from Dalang, Dongguan. This woolen town produces over 900 million garments annually, with a total industrial chain transaction value exceeding 72 billion yuan. Behind these numbers lies the core message from the 95th International Wool Conference: China's textile industry has moved beyond scale advantage into a paradigm shift driven by intelligent and experience economies.
Data Reveals Industry Resilience
Sun Ruizhe, president of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, disclosed key data: China processes over 60 million tons of fiber annually, produces more than 70 billion garments, accounting for over 50% of global output. Exports have remained above $300 billion for six consecutive years, with intermediate goods like chemical fibers and fabrics providing crucial supply chain stability.
First-quarter data confirms resilience: revenue of above-scale enterprises fell 0.3% year-on-year, but profits surged 19.3%, with profit margin reaching 2.9%. Retail sales of garments, shoes, hats, and textiles at above-designated-size units reached 512.13 billion yuan, up 8.1% year-on-year, 5 percentage points faster than last year.
Investment in textile manufacturing rose 10.8%, while garment and chemical fiber sectors fell 10.3% and 14.5% respectively. This divergence indicates capital is flowing into smart manufacturing and upstream links, not simple capacity expansion.
Intelligent Economy: From Tool to Paradigm
The conference theme 'Smart Weaving Future' is no empty slogan. Sun noted AI is reshaping innovation paradigms. The global AI market reached $757.58 billion in 2025, expected to exceed $900 billion by 2026. In China, daily token calls surpassed 140 trillion, up over 40% from end of last year.
Yueda Textile's 'Lighthouse Factory' case is compelling: smart manufacturing reduced labor per 10,000 spindles by 70%, boosted labor productivity fourfold, cut energy consumption by 15%, and lowered processing costs by 26%. Semir's AI design system improved efficiency by 35%, with pattern design up over 200%. Bosideng's 'AI Aesthetic Brain' reduced sample development costs by over 60%.
These figures show AI is now a core variable reshaping production functions. Sun highlighted Anok's ecosystem spanning 'dyes → inks → digital printing → AI design → IP cultural products,' signaling a shift from linear supply chains to data-driven mesh collaboration.
Experience Economy: Deeper Consumer Logic Shift
The conference also focused on the experience economy. Sun analyzed that global consumer markets show ecological restructuring, human-centric return, and structural differentiation. Consumers are increasingly stratified, with health, emotional connection, and self-expression as core demands. Social media accelerates information generation and dissemination, making product discovery and decisions more intelligent.
This means textile companies must evolve from fabric or garment suppliers to 'lifestyle solution providers.' The global rise of Chinese-style fashion, and brands like Anta and SHEIN entering the world's top 500, reflect this experience economy logic. Hengli, Weiqiao, and Erdos are deeply engaging in global cooperation through cross-border M&A and multi-brand operations, essentially creating unique experiential value for different markets.