The second evaluation session of the 2026 'Keqiao Preferred' program, held on July 24 in Shaoxing Keqiao, delivered a data set worth dissecting: 195 enterprises submitted 1,072 fabric samples, with fashion-oriented fabrics accounting for 75%, and the combined tech and eco categories making up 25%.
At first glance, fashion remains the dominant category. However, the revised evaluation criteria—which place greater weight on quantifiable metrics such as safety, scalability, functional certification, and eco-labels—suggest that this session functioned more as a 'supply chain qualification test' for the 2026 buying season than a mere product beauty contest.
Product Breakthroughs and Concerns Across Three Tracks
Fashion fabrics continued to intensify competition in design and hand-feel. Categories such as jacquard, satin, lace, and clip-spot were all well-represented, with multi-material blends and refined finishing techniques becoming standard. Judge Shen Kong noted that new-material products composed entirely of nylon or polyester showed notable improvement over previous years.
Tech fabrics were the highlight of this evaluation. Functions such as moisture absorption, warmth retention, UV protection, and opacity prevention were widely covered. Differentiated materials like micro-denier fibers, graphene-modified fibers, hollow fibers, and cooling fibers were commonly applied. Judge Chen Baojian remarked that 'the overall quality of sportswear and tech fabrics has improved significantly, gradually closing the gap with fashion fabrics.' For sourcing teams, this means Keqiao's capacity in the tech segment is now competitive with established production bases like Shengze or the Pearl River Delta—both in cost and delivery reliability.
For eco fabrics, recycled polyester-nylon blends, Lyocell, cupro, hemp, Naia™, and Yiselle® were widely used, paired with salt-free low-water dyeing processes. Judge Zhang Qifeng specifically noted that kapok fiber products exhibited excellent hand-feel among eco fabrics, offering strong market potential. However, judge Duan Furong suggested making sustainability a mandatory baseline requirement, implying that current eco-fabric penetration still falls short of brand expectations.
Shift in Evaluation Logic: From 'Looks Good' to 'Works and Scales'
The evaluation panel was chaired by Li Bo, Director of the Productivity Promotion Department of CNTAC, and included R&D directors, sourcing managers, and material development experts from brands. This composition itself signals that evaluation standards are tilting from 'design creativity' toward 'market fitness.'
Judge Chen Ling noted from a consumer perspective that some fabric samples lacked complete supporting test documentation. Judge Chen Baojian also advised enterprises to supplement functional parameter reports. This is not nitpicking—in brand sourcing workflows, missing third-party test reports directly disqualify a product from supplier databases. For Keqiao fabric firms, the future competitive barrier is not just the fabric itself, but the accompanying compliance documentation system.
Judge Ye Fei suggested that future sessions focus on segmenting by sub-tracks such as light sportswear, outdoor, and yoga functional fabrics, enabling brands to match sourcing needs more precisely. This points to a deeper industry trend: fabric exhibitions are evolving from 'booth-based' to 'track-based,' where buyers filter suppliers by functional tags rather than company size.
Strategic Landing Points: Three Exhibitions
Selected enterprises will participate in three brand-matching events and showcase at Intertextile Shanghai (Autumn/Winter), Performance Days Munich, and APTEXPO 2026. These three exhibitions represent distinct geographic and functional tiers: Shanghai targets domestic brands and traders, Munich focuses on European outdoor and functional fabric buyers, and APTEXPO addresses emerging Asia-Pacific markets. For Keqiao firms, this is a critical springboard from 'regional brand' to 'global supply chain node.'