While most Keqiao fabric merchants are still mired in price wars over commodity goods, a new playbook is emerging in the Dongsheng Road outdoor fabric zone: convert a school-uniform supply chain into a plant-dyed luxury menswear business, then use AI-powered sourcing tools to leapfrog efficiency. The dual-brand model of Qiting and Haoli Textiles is giving 'premiumization' a concrete blueprint.
Background
The starting point was modest. Qiting launched operations in 2013 and registered in 2014, initially selling basic school-uniform fabrics from a stall in the East Market, building a loyal customer base and a mature supply chain through strict quality control. By 2018, squeezed margins in conventional fabrics forced a strategic pivot: the company doubled down on functional outdoor fabrics while founding Haoli Textiles to target high-end business menswear. Today, Qiting occupies the first phase of Dongsheng Road, and Haoli operates in the second phase, each serving distinct customers but sharing the same supply-chain backbone.
Haoli's product logic is straightforward: use only natural fibers like wool, silk, and lyocell, and color them with plant extracts instead of chemical dyes. This premium positioning commands prices of 100-600 RMB per meter, aimed at menswear brands and designer orders, deliberately sidestepping low-end price competition. This price band is not mainstream in Keqiao, but it fills a gap between mass-market fabrics and imported alternatives.
Industry Impact
The combination of plant dyeing and premium natural fibers means two things. For buyers, the fabric carries an eco-friendly narrative that meets European and American sustainability requirements; for factories, higher unit prices offset the costs of small-batch, multi-variety production, yielding healthier margins than commodity goods. Haoli exports mainly to Europe and America, with all fabrics meeting EU-standard fluorine-free environmental requirements. Domestically, it has cooperated with Qiaodun for 8-10 years, plus clients like Xiaobeibei, Yingqi, Macedonia, and Xiaozhubanna, leveraging dual-brand referrals to gradually open high-end menswear channels.
What truly stands out is the digital adoption. Haoli has digitized core fabrics—waffle knit, health knit, double-face jersey, mesh, air layer, pique—into the AI Fabric mini-program. When designers bring fabric swatches to find matches or similar materials, the system instantly retrieves options, replacing the slow manual process of flipping through samples and comparing color cards. This is especially useful for overseas clients: previously, sending samples and waiting for feedback could take days; now online matching comes first, offline confirmation follows, significantly reducing communication costs. General Manager Li Xiongzhen revealed that orders can typically be dispatched within an hour, backed by a shared 15,000-square-meter warehouse and a dual inventory/custom-order model: stock for urgent small orders, custom orders within 3-10 days.
The AI Fabric Experience Center adjacent to Dongsheng Road is about to begin trial operations, featuring smart body scanning, 3D virtual try-ons, fabric visualization, and garment simulation. This connects digital archives with physical fabric and garment samples. It signals that fabric sourcing is shifting from 'manual sample flipping plus experience' to 'data matching plus immersive experience.' For Keqiao merchants, this is not just a tool upgrade but a gateway to serving high-end clients—designers and brand buyers need not only fabric but also rapid validation and visual presentation capabilities.
From a school-uniform stall in the East Market to outdoor fabrics in Phase One and premium menswear in Phase Two, then to AI digitalization and dual-brand synergy, this case shows that traditional fabric merchants don't have to start from scratch to go high-end. They can climb the ladder of their existing supply chain, using differentiated positioning and digital tools to rebuild competitiveness. Last year's overall performance improved notably, and this year's order growth remains optimistic, proving the path is viable.