While most textile exhibitions still compete for a three-day attention span, Xiaoli Town in Rongcheng County, Xiong'an New Area, has stretched its autumn-winter new product show to two months. The 2026 Autumn-Winter Xiaoli Apparel Expo, which opened on August 1, simultaneously set up displays in Dongxiaoli Village, gathering over 100 local ready-to-wear manufacturers, attempting to use a longer window to absorb industrial resources from cross-border e-commerce, digital design, and smart production lines. Behind this move lies a proactive positioning of the traditional autumn-winter apparel belt amid changing domestic and international demand.
Industrial Belt Background: Four Decades of Autumn-Winter Apparel Accumulation
Xiaoli's apparel industry dates back to the 1980s, evolving from family workshops and rural markets into a cluster characterized by middle-aged and elderly jackets, fleece, autumn-winter cotton-padded garments, and outdoor functional apparel. These categories have established a solid domestic market foundation through superior craftsmanship and high cost-effectiveness, gradually expanding overseas. However, public industry data indicates that the domestic market is nearing saturation, homogeneous competition is intensifying, and single-channel dependence has become a visible bottleneck to upgrading. The expo represents a concentrated effort by local government and industry chain players to leverage 'quality, innovation, and cooperation' as leverage for transformation.
Four Upgrade Directions: From Manufacturing to Smart Manufacturing
The industry sharing sessions at the opening ceremony revealed a clear transformation roadmap. Cross-border e-commerce was prioritized, with the head of the Xiong'an New Area Cross-border E-commerce Comprehensive Service Center explaining supportive policies covering ancillary support and service guarantees, providing policy certainty for local enterprises. Simultaneously, AI+3D digital design technology was introduced into R&D and sampling processes, aiming to compress traditional development cycles; the promotion of recycled polyester (rPET) fabrics responds to the rigid demand for green supply chains in overseas markets; and the display of complete intelligent sewing equipment solutions targets further efficiency gains amid rising labor costs. These four directions are not isolated but form a digital transformation chain from design, fabric, and production to channels.
Cross-border Training and Roundtable Dialogue: Practical Industry Mobilization
Notably, the expo included a two-day cross-border e-commerce special training covering platforms such as Amazon, TikTok, Ozon, and Etsy, with courses on platform operations, brand going global, AI digital design, automated production line implementation, and 'one-person company' (OPC) store distribution. This hands-on training for small and medium apparel enterprises reflects a pragmatic approach to going global—focusing on methodology rather than empty concepts. The industry chain roundtable dialogue gathered cross-border platforms, industrial parks, service providers, cross-border sellers, and smart manufacturers to discuss 'breaking through together,' aiming to establish a regular communication mechanism among government, enterprises, and service providers.
Implications for Buyers and Foreign Trade Enterprises
For buyers, the two-month exhibition period offers ample time for product selection and factory inspections, especially for categories like fleece and outdoor functional apparel, allowing in-depth assessment of flexible production capabilities. For foreign trade enterprises, the policy advantages of Xiong'an New Area combined with the local mature manufacturing base may present a cost-effective option for building autumn-winter apparel cross-border supply chains. However, it should be noted that the transformation is still in its infancy; cross-border e-commerce operational capabilities, brand design premiums, and green certification systems require time to mature, and actual returns will depend on the ability to convert training content into sustained order capacity.