While most Keqiao fabric traders struggle over pennies per meter, one merchant in the Dongsheng Road district has set prices between 100 and 600 yuan per meter with stable order flow. This price band signals a shift from bulk commodity logic to a niche market driven by quality and craftsmanship. Behind it lies a decade-long path that began with school-uniform fabrics.
Background
The transformation started in 2013 when the Qiting brand launched, registering officially in 2014 with a storefront in Keqiao's East Market, initially focusing on basic school-uniform fabrics. By 2018, intensifying competition squeezed margins, prompting a strategic pivot: one arm moved into functional outdoor fabrics, while a new brand, Haoli Textile, targeted premium menswear fabrics. This dual-brand structure allowed each to serve distinct customer segments.
In channel layout, Qiting was among the first to enter the Dongsheng Road outdoor fabric zone's first phase, and Haoli later opened an independent stall in the second phase. The area attracts brand owners, e-commerce sellers, and designers who demand finer fabrics and offer higher conversion rates—ideal soil for premium fabric business.
Industry Impact
Haoli's product line uses only natural fibers like wool, silk, and lyocell, with colors derived from plant extraction instead of traditional chemical dyes. This process choice raises technical barriers and determines the pricing range. For buyers, it means eco-friendly attributes that meet the growing demand for sustainable materials in luxury menswear; for factories, it requires stronger process control and a more stable supply chain.
Supply-chain efficiency underpins the high prices. Haoli shares a 15,000-square-meter warehouse and operates a dual model of stock and custom orders: stock handles small urgent batches, while custom orders are delivered in 3 to 10 days, with the fastest shipment in one hour. This responsiveness is rare in the premium segment, reducing trial costs for brand clients and strengthening the merchant's bargaining position.
Digitalization is another key variable. Haoli participated in building a digital fabric library within the AI Fabric mini-program, digitizing core fabrics like waffle knit, air layer, and pique. Previously, designers brought swatches for manual comparison—slow and inefficient for remote communication; now the system can match identical or similar fabrics with one click, significantly improving accuracy. For buyers, this shortens sample-seeking cycles; for the merchant, it cuts labor costs and serves high-end clients who demand precise hand-feel and drape.
Notably, the Dongsheng Road zone's AI Fabric experience center is about to start trial operations, equipped with smart body scanning, 3D virtual try-ons, and fabric visualization. This extends fabric display from physical to virtual space, potentially reshaping procurement experiences. For clients accustomed to touching fabrics, this is a supplement rather than a replacement; but for cross-regional clients, virtual samples greatly reduce communication costs.
Dual-brand synergy is core to the model. The outdoor fabric line uses Italian napping machines, expanding capacity and enhancing supply-chain bargaining power; exports cover European and American markets, meeting EU-standard fluorine-free environmental requirements. Long-term domestic clients include Qiaodun (8-10 years), Xiaobeibei, Yingqi, Macedonia, and Xiaozhubanna, providing cross-referral channels for Haoli's premium menswear business.
Financially, after two years of transformation, overall brand performance has improved notably, and current order growth suggests continued momentum this year. This confirms a judgment: in an era of overcapacity in conventional fabrics, a moat built on process differentiation and digital services is more resilient than mere capacity expansion.