With 1,072 fabric entries and 75% in the fashion category alone, the numbers tell a clear story: Keqiao's textile engine is still driven by fast response and aesthetics. But the remaining 25% — technology and green fabrics — are sending a stronger structural signal.
Data Behind the Diversification
On July 24, the second review of the 2026 'Keqiao Preferred' program concluded in Shaoxing Keqiao. Among the 195 participating companies and 1,072 products, fashion fabrics accounted for 75%, while tech and green fabrics each made up about 12.5%. While fashion remains the base load for Keqiao's capacity, the review system has shifted significantly — quantitative indicators such as safety, mass production capability, functional verification, and environmental certification now carry higher weight.
This signals that the regional public brand is moving from 'volume wins' to 'quality defines tiers.' The review panel, composed of industry associations, brand buyers, and technical experts, evaluates across five core dimensions: fashion creativity, technological innovation, ecological sustainability, product quality, and market application. For the first time, completeness of testing documentation was explicitly penalized. Multiple reviewers noted that while some fabrics looked excellent, incomplete documentation hurt their final scores.
Functional Fabrics: From Sportswear to Daily Wardrobe
The most critical trend emerging from the review is the rapid expansion of functional fabrics beyond traditional sportswear. Moisture-wicking, UV protection, anti-transparency — once limited to outdoor categories — now appear across full-category apparel, from innerwear to outerwear. Differentiated materials such as microfiber, graphene-modified fiber, hollow fiber, and cooling fiber are increasingly used in fashion fabrics.
Duan Furong, head of Baoxiniao Holdings Research Institute, noted that some tech fabrics already show market-hit potential. He suggested making sustainability a mandatory baseline requirement, pushing deeper integration of fashion, tech, and green dimensions. Zhang Qifeng, material development director at Eral, highlighted kapok fiber products as offering superior hand feel and higher market application value compared to traditional cotton, linen, silk, or wool.
The logic is clear: functionality is no longer a niche attribute for sportswear — it is becoming a standard expectation for daily apparel. For Keqiao fabric mills, this means R&D payback cycles may shorten. Once functionality and fashion aesthetics merge, brand buyers' willingness to purchase increases significantly.
Green Certification: From Bonus to Threshold
Green fabrics accounted for only a small share in this review, but the expansion of material scope and development thinking was widely praised. Recycled polyester-nylon, lyocell, cuprammonium fiber, hemp, Naia™, and Yasal® are being used more broadly, paired with salt-free, water-saving dyeing processes. Environmental philosophy now permeates every stage of product development.
A notable point: if the suggestion to make sustainability a mandatory requirement is adopted, it will substantially impact Keqiao fabric mills' supply chain management. Currently, green fabrics represent only about 12.5% of entries. Turning them into a hard threshold means companies must systematically upgrade raw material sourcing, process certification, and carbon footprint tracking. For small and medium-sized weaving mills, this is both a cost burden and a window for differentiation.
Global Rollout of the Regional Public Brand
The 'Keqiao Preferred' promotion system is extending from domestic exhibitions to international stages. Selected products will be showcased at three major events: Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, Performance Days in Munich, and APTEXPO 2026. This signals an increasing willingness among Keqiao companies to participate in global trade fairs, but matching international buyers' testing standards remains a weak point.
Multiple reviewers repeatedly emphasized the importance of complete testing documentation — precisely the entry threshold for international purchase orders. Li Bo, director of the Productivity Promotion Department at CNTAC, summarized that functional fabrics are accelerating their expansion from professional sportswear into daily fashion and business attire — a key industry trend.
For buyers, Keqiao's product power is improving, but screening costs remain. It is advisable to prioritize suppliers with complete testing documentation and functional verification reports when engaging international brands.