At the Dong Sheng Road outdoor fabric zone in Keqiao China Textile City, a quiet transformation is underway from mass-market offerings to high-end niches. The dual-brand strategy of Haoli Textile and Qiting has evolved from school uniform fabrics to product prices ranging from 100 to 600 RMB per meter, directly targeting light luxury fashion and premium business menswear. This shift is not merely a product line change but a fundamental restructuring of the traditional wholesale fabric model.
Background
The Qiting brand began operations in 2013 and was officially registered in 2014, initially starting as a storefront in the East Market selling basic school uniform fabrics. At that time, the school uniform segment competed on quality control and stable supply, allowing Qiting to build a solid supply chain and customer base. However, by 2018, intensifying competition and shrinking margins in conventional fabrics forced the brand to seek new value anchors. The transformation took two directions: entering functional outdoor fabrics and establishing Haoli Textile to focus on high-end business menswear. Thus, a dual-brand structure was established, with Qiting in Phase I of Dong Sheng Road and Haoli operating an independent booth in Phase II, each targeting distinct customer segments.
This pivot was not accidental. The Dong Sheng Road area attracts numerous brand owners, e-commerce sellers, and independent designers who demand far more refined fabrics than traditional wholesale markets. Li Xiongzhen, general manager of Haoli Textile, noted that this zone is ideal for high-end fabric business due to higher order conversion efficiency and clearer customer needs. For small and medium fabric merchants, this means location choices now reflect customer structure and order quality, not just physical presence.
Industry Impact
Haoli's product strategy is highly targeted: all fabrics use natural fibers such as wool, silk, and Lyocell, with colors derived entirely from plant extraction, avoiding chemical dyes. This process choice raises technical barriers and solidifies a high-end positioning. Unit prices remain stable between 100 and 600 RMB, effectively avoiding price wars in the low-end market. For buyers, this signals a shift in supplier pricing logic—from "price per meter" to "value per meter," where environmental attributes, material rarity, and process complexity justify premiums.
Supply chain synergies are equally noteworthy. Haoli shares 15,000 square meters of warehousing with Qiting and runs a dual model of stock and custom orders: stock items handle small urgent orders, custom cycles range from 3 to 10 days, and with complete inventory, the fastest dispatch can occur within one hour. Such responsiveness is rare in the high-end fabric segment, directly reducing trial costs for brands and designers. For factories, this highlights that even on a premium track, agile supply chain capabilities remain core competitiveness, not just product excellence.
Digital tools further amplify this differentiation. Haoli participated in the digital fabric library of the "AI Bu" mini-program, archiving core fabrics like waffle knit, health knit, double-sided plain knit, mesh, air layer, and pique. Previously, designers bringing sample swatches to find similar fabrics relied on manual searching and color card comparison—inefficient and slow. Now, the system provides one-click matching with high accuracy, enabling remote service for overseas clients. Li emphasized that fabric digitalization is indispensable for serving high-end customers. This reflects an industry shift from "people finding goods" to "systems finding goods," posing a potential threat to experience-dependent smaller suppliers.
Practical Recommendations
For Buyers - Prioritize suppliers with digital fabric libraries to shorten sampling cycles, especially for brands with frequent new product development. - Focus on plant-dyed and natural fiber fabrics, as their environmental attributes command premiums in Western markets; verify stable supply capabilities. - Leverage the "stock + custom" model to test market reactions with small urgent orders, then manage inventory risk through custom orders.
For Factories - If entering the high-end segment, consider building digital archives for core fabrics first, gradually accumulating data assets. - Adopt a dual-brand approach to separate mass-market and premium lines, avoiding price system conflicts while sharing warehousing and supply chain resources. - Invest in eco-friendly processes like plant dyeing and fluorine-free finishing to meet international standards and unlock high-end export orders.
From school uniforms to light luxury, this Keqiao dual-brand pair has completed a typical industrial upgrade sample in a decade. The core is not a single product upgrade but a reconstruction of value delivery between fabric merchants and clients through positioning segmentation, supply chain synergy, and digital tools. For peers still struggling in price wars, this path may offer a viable blueprint.