China's textile and apparel industry is undergoing a strategic shift from quantity to quality. According to the latest policy, the sector will concentrate resources to cultivate at least 25 excellent brands within three years, signaling a clear direction toward value chain upgrading.
Policy Focus: Strategic Shift from Scale to Value
The 'Excellent Textile and Apparel Brand Cultivation Action Plan (2026–2028),' jointly issued by five government departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, establishes an institutional framework for brand growth through cross-ministerial coordination. The plan sets a quantitative target of cultivating at least 25 excellent brands within three years and initiates research on an evaluation index system, moving brand building from subjective judgment to scientific, measurable standards.
Sun Ruizhe, President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, emphasized that this target is not a numbers game but a guide to concentrate high-quality resources on brands with real potential and heritage. The industry is accelerating its transformation toward technology-driven, fashion-oriented, and green textiles, and excellent brand cultivation requires technological innovation for quality, Eastern aesthetics for cultural depth, and responsible development for brand warmth.
Industry Foundation: Manufacturing and Culture as Dual Drivers
China's textile and apparel industry boasts the world's most complete manufacturing chain, from fiber to garment, with scale advantages at every stage. However, over the past decade, the industry has relied more on order-driven and cost-advantage models, resulting in weak brand premium capabilities. This policy aims to break that bottleneck.
Sun noted that the industry is fully capable of nurturing globally competitive excellent brands, thanks to deep manufacturing heritage, rich cultural resources, and vast market space. The awakening of cultural confidence gives local brands an edge in expressing Eastern aesthetics, while flexible and intelligent manufacturing upgrades support rapid response and quality assurance.
Implementation Path: A Six-Dimensional Empowerment System
To ensure the plan's implementation, the China National Textile and Apparel Council will work through six dimensions:
- Establish a brand incubation mechanism with tiered, dynamic management
- Provide brand diagnostic services for precise enterprise guidance
- Continuously collect and promote brand stories, exploring cultural roots and innovative practices
- Build public service platforms integrating design, technology, and channel resources
- Deepen integration of cultural tourism activities with brand consumption
- Intensify brand talent cultivation to build a professional team
This system upgrades brand cultivation from a single-enterprise effort to an industry-wide systematic project. Diagnostic services help enterprises identify weaknesses; platform integration provides design and technical support for SMEs; and cultural tourism integration brings brands from abstract concepts to consumer scenarios.
Industry Impact: Brand Competition Enters Deep Water
For textile and apparel enterprises, this policy marks the entry of brand competition into deep water. Previously, brand building was largely a game for leading companies, with SMEs struggling to break through due to limited resources. However, the plan's emphasis on tiered and dynamic management means more promising SMEs can access policy support.
From a supply chain perspective, brand upgrading will force upstream fabric and accessory suppliers to improve product quality and design capabilities. An excellent brand's supply chain standards will inevitably be higher than ordinary orders, driving quality upgrades across the entire chain.