Brand building is becoming a core proposition for China's textile and apparel industry as it shifts from 'scale leadership' to 'value leadership'. The 'Textile and Garment Excellent Brand Cultivation Action Plan (2026-2028)', jointly issued by five ministries, sets a clear quantitative target: cultivate at least 25 excellent brands within three years and initiate research on an evaluation index system. This move marks a transition from macro-level advocacy to systematic, measurable implementation in policy support for brand building.
Policy Landing: From Qualitative Encouragement to Quantitative Assessment
The target of 25 brands is not a mere numerical exercise. Sun Ruizhe, President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC), emphasized that the orientation is 'quality first, selecting the best among the strong', meaning premium resources will be concentrated on brands with genuine potential and heritage. For the industry, this means brand cultivation will shift from experience-based judgment to scientific measurement—the concurrent development of an evaluation index system will provide a quantifiable yardstick for 'excellence'. This shift is underpinned by the industry's broader transformation towards tech-textiles, fashion, and green development: excellent brands must simultaneously embody cultural confidence, technological capability, and trend-setting ability.
From an industrial cluster perspective, traditional manufacturing hubs like Keqiao (Zhejiang), Shengze (Jiangsu), and Zhongshan (Guangdong) will face urgent pressure to upgrade their brand profiles. Factories that have long relied on OEM and scale advantages need to reassess their positioning in the brand value chain. The policy explicitly integrates intellectual property protection, market regulation, and talent cultivation into the support system, meaning brand building is no longer a single-company endeavor but a systematic project requiring coordination across the supply chain.
Industry Impact: Brand Incubation System Reshapes Competitive Landscape
The six major work directions outlined in the plan effectively construct a closed-loop brand incubation system from diagnosis to empowerment. Establishing an incubation mechanism means brands will enter a tiered, dynamically managed competitive channel. Diagnostic services aim to help companies identify weaknesses and leverage strengths—this is akin to providing 'health check-ups' and 'prescriptions' for brand growth. For foreign trade companies and OEM factories, this mechanism could alter traditional order acquisition models: enterprises with brand potential will gain more policy resources and market exposure.
Brand story collection and public service platform development essentially lower the barriers to brand building. In the past, SMEs often faced constraints in design, channels, and capital; policy-guided resource integration is expected to accelerate their entry into the 'fast lane' of brand cultivation. The deep integration of cultural tourism and brand consumption reveals a new path for brand communication—immersive experiences that bring brands into consumer scenarios, rather than relying on traditional advertising. This is particularly practical for terminal consumer categories like home textiles and apparel.