China's textile and garment industry stands at a critical transformation junction. From 2026 to 2028, the 'Textile and Garment Excellence Brand Cultivation Action Plan' jointly issued by five ministries sets a clear quantitative target: cultivating at least 25 excellent brands within three years. Behind this number lies a systematic institutional design for the industry to leap from scale leadership to value leadership.
Policy Landing: From Empirical Judgment to Scientific Measurement
The plan's core highlight is the simultaneous launch of evaluation index system research. This means brand building will no longer remain at the vague level of corporate self-description or market reputation but will be incorporated into a quantifiable and traceable assessment framework. Sun Ruizhe, President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC), emphasized in his interpretation that this index system aims to make 'excellence' measurable and actionable. For the industry, this sends a clear signal: future resources will tilt towards brands with genuine technological depth, cultural confidence, and green responsibility.
From an industrial cluster perspective, traditional hubs like Keqiao, Shengze, and Nantong will face a new round of reshuffling. Companies relying solely on production scale without brand premium power may gradually be marginalized under the policy direction. Conversely, those that combine Eastern aesthetics with modern technology and take the lead in green production are expected to enter the excellence brand cultivation pipeline first.
Industry Transformation: Technology, Fashion, and Green as Three Pillars
Sun Ruizhe pointed out that the industry is accelerating its shift towards technology-driven, fashion-oriented, and green textiles. This aligns with the plan's guiding principle of 'quality first, selecting the best among the best.' Technological innovation is the foundation of quality, Eastern aesthetics provide cultural depth, and responsible development adds warmth to the brand—these three dimensions form the core competitiveness of an excellent brand.
For China's textile and garment industry, manufacturing heritage and cultural resources are not weaknesses, but it has long been stuck in the mid-to-low end of the global value chain with insufficient brand premium. The plan's elevation of brand building to a national strategy means that policy is now providing systematic institutional environment and factor support, including industrial policies, talent cultivation, market regulation, communication promotion, and intellectual property protection.
For foreign trade enterprises, this change is particularly critical. The model relying on OEM orders faces dual pressure from rising costs and trade frictions. The cultivation of excellent brands will offer new export premium space, especially for brands with some recognition in overseas markets, which can leverage policy dividends to accelerate international expansion.
Implementation Path: Six Key Measures and Long-term Mechanism
CNTAC has outlined six aspects to advance the plan: establishing an incubation mechanism for brand entry, building a tiered and dynamic brand cultivation system; conducting brand diagnosis services for precise enterprise support; continuously promoting brand stories to explore cultural roots and innovative practices; building public service platforms integrating design, technology, and channel resources; advancing the integration of cultural tourism and brand consumption to enhance user connections; and intensifying brand talent cultivation.
These six measures form a closed loop: from selecting promising candidates, to precise support, market validation, and talent reserves. Sun Ruizhe likened brand building to 'a long race requiring faith and perseverance'—meaning companies cannot expect short-term results but must dive deep and persist.