While Keqiao's fabric market still battles over fractions of a yuan per meter, one merchant that started with school uniform fabrics has pushed its product prices into the 100-600 yuan range. Behind this contrast lies the dual-brand strategy of Qiting and Haoli Textiles, positioning themselves in high-end menswear and outdoor functional fabrics—a vivid example of local Keqiao merchants climbing the value chain.
Transformation Path and Industry Context
In 2013, Qiting started in the East Market, focusing on basic school uniform fabrics, building stable customer and supply chain resources through consistent quality control. In 2018, as profits in conventional fabrics came under pressure, the brand pivoted: it developed functional outdoor fabrics and founded Haoli Textiles to target high-end business menswear, operating two brands independently. This timing aligns with the broader upgrading of the Keqiao market—intense competition in mass segments forced merchants to seek higher value-added tracks.
Haoli's positioning is clear: it uses natural fibers like wool, silk, and Lyocell, and colors fabrics through botanical extraction, abandoning chemical dyeing. This eco-friendly attribute directly defines its pricing logic, with a 100-600 yuan range that precisely avoids price wars in low-end fabrics. For buyers, this means higher bargaining power and brand premium potential, rather than competing solely on weight and price.
Digitalization and Supply Chain Synergy
High-end fabric businesses often stumble on service quality. Haoli's answer is digital tools plus flexible supply chains. On the AI Fabric mini-program, core fabrics like waffle, health knit, double-faced plain weave, mesh, air layer, and pique have been digitized, with one-click matching of similar fabrics significantly improving sample-seeking efficiency. For designers and brand buyers, matching scattered samples remotely used to require manual searching; now systems deliver results in seconds, shortening development cycles.
On the supply chain side, an integrated trade-manufacturing model with a 15,000-square-meter warehouse supports both stock and custom orders. Stock items handle small urgent orders, while custom lead times are 3-10 days, with fastest shipment in one hour. This rapid response is critical for high-end clients, who often have tight deadlines and small, frequent orders. In essence, digitalization and flexible supply chains are key enablers for high-end fabric business success.
Channel Expansion and Industry Insights
The dual-brand synergy extends beyond product lines to channel sharing. The outdoor fabric line features Italian-imported napping equipment, boosting capacity and negotiating power; exports target European and American markets, meeting EU standard fluoride-free environmental requirements. Domestically, long-term cooperation with Qiaodun spans 8-10 years, serving brands like Xiaobeibei, Yingqi, Macedonia, and Xiaozhubanna, providing cross-traffic for Haoli's high-end menswear channels. Two years into the transformation, overall performance has improved significantly, with positive order growth.
For other Keqiao merchants, this case demonstrates that high-end transformation isn't about simply making fabrics pricier—it requires systematic restructuring of product positioning, supply chain capabilities, digital tools, and channel resources. The Dongsheng Road area hosts quality brands, e-commerce sellers, and designers, and the upcoming AI Fabric experience center will feature smart body scanning, 3D virtual try-ons, and fabric visualization, further bridging fabric and garment. For buyers, such digital experiences mean more efficient sourcing and lower communication costs.