In the Dongsheng Road outdoor fabric zone of Keqiao China Textile City, a merchant that started with school uniform fabrics is now entering the high-end menswear and light luxury segment through a dual-brand strategy. Its fabric unit prices range from 100 to 600 RMB, clearly differentiating it from the mass market. This transformation path reflects a new survival logic under homogenized competition in traditional fabric hubs.
Background
The brand's origin dates back to 2013, when Qiting was officially registered a year later, initially operating a storefront in the East Market, focusing on basic school uniform fabrics and building stable customers through quality control. In 2018, as profits in conventional fabrics came under pressure, the brand initiated a strategic shift: on one hand, it developed functional outdoor fabrics; on the other, it founded Haoli Textile to specialize in high-end business menswear fabrics, forming a dual-brand independent operation.
Qiting was among the first batch of merchants to enter Phase I of the Dongsheng Road outdoor functional fabric zone, and later established an independent Haoli outlet in Phase II. The Dongsheng Road area attracts brand owners, e-commerce sellers, and designers who demand finer fabrics and offer higher order conversion, providing an ideal platform for premium business. This layout indicates that merchants are moving from simply selling cloth to serving segmented clientele.
Industry Impact
From its inception, Haoli positioned itself as natural and eco-friendly, using pure natural fibers such as wool, silk, and lyocell, and replacing chemical dyeing with plant-extracted colors. High-end materials and special processes support a unit price of 100-600 RMB, precisely targeting premium menswear brands and designer orders, avoiding low-end price wars. This strategy shows that process and material innovation become the core of premium pricing amid fabric homogenization.
On the supply chain side, Haoli shares a 15,000-square-meter warehouse and operates a dual model of stock and custom orders. Stock can quickly handle small urgent orders, while custom cycles are controlled within 3-10 days, and the complete inventory enables shipment in as fast as one hour. This rapid response capability is crucial for designer clients relying on small-quantity fast reorders, and also improves capital turnover.
Digital tools also serve as a differentiator. Haoli participates in the digital fabric construction of the AI Fabric mini-program, digitizing core fabrics such as waffle, health knit, and double-faced plain knit, enabling one-click matching of identical or similar fabrics. Previously, manual sample matching and color card comparison were inefficient, and remote communication with overseas clients was time-consuming. After digitization, the system quickly searches and matches, saving labor and improving accuracy, which is indispensable for serving high-end clients.
An AI Fabric experience hall supporting the Dongsheng Road zone is about to enter trial operation, featuring smart body measurement, 3D virtual try-on, fabric visual creation, and garment simulation, displaying physical fabrics and virtual samples online and offline. This means fabric display is extending from physical to virtual, providing immersive selection for designers and brand buyers, and may become a new standard for professional markets.
The synergy between the two brands is significant. The outdoor fabric production line is equipped with Italian imported raising machines, continuously expanding capacity and enhancing bargaining power; foreign trade channels target Europe and America, with exported fabrics meeting EU standards for fluorine-free environmental protection. Domestic clients include Qiaodun (cooperating for 8-10 years), Xiaobeibei, and Little Tiger, with bidirectional referral helping Haoli open high-end menswear channels. Two years after the strategic shift, overall performance has improved markedly, and order growth indicates a promising trend.