While the national growth rate of large-scale home textile enterprises was merely 0.96%, Haining's home textile industry achieved a remarkable 9.2% growth in the first half of the year. This nearly ten-fold outperformance is no coincidence—the 35th Haining Home Textile Expo saw a 22.1% surge in first-day visitors, with 250,000 square meters of exhibition space hosting over 2,500 source factories. Behind these numbers lies Haining's quiet transformation from a "fabric distribution hub" to an "industry trendsetter."
Industry Background: A Qualitative Leap After Four Decades
Haining's home textile roots lie in Xucun, the industry's birthplace, which has evolved over 40 years from family workshops to a pattern of "north home textiles, south garments, central digital." Today, Haining's home textile products hold the largest market share in China, exceeding 35%. This year, Haining home textiles were listed in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's "China Consumer Famous Products" list, and the Home Textile City was included in the province's pilot for professional market transformation. This signifies that Haining's transformation is not just corporate behavior but a regional industrial strategy.
Notably, Haining's upgrade path is clearly oriented towards a "one center, four markets" layout, planning to build an international fashion center, create national-style, digital, and original-design markets, and strive for a national-level creative design cluster. This leap from a single trading market to a compound industrial ecosystem is reshaping Haining's home textile industrial DNA.
Expo Observations: Signals of Moving from Trading to Defining
This expo released several key signals. First, the inaugural 2026/27 Home Textile Color Trend Zone, themed "Natural and Artistic Fabric Chromatography," divided into four trend themes: "Earthly Origin," "Gilded Weave," "Cross-Domain Art," and "East-West Harmony." This marks a shift from merely displaying products to attempting to lead next season's design direction.
Second, among the six special exhibition zones, the smart shading and window accessory zone integrated technologies like electric tracks and eco-friendly coating into curtains, upgrading products from "a piece of cloth" to "system solutions." The intangible heritage zone introduced Eastern aesthetic elements such as silk and celadon into home scenarios, extending the narrative of fabrics. These changes mean buyers see not just products but future spatial aesthetics trends.
During the expo, the Haining China Home Textile City · International Silk Creative R&D Center was inaugurated to promote deep integration of silk creativity and home textiles. Meanwhile, the "Haining Home Textile Cup" design competition, now in its 24th year, continued to inject fresh design talent into the industry. These actions indicate Haining is positioning design and R&D as the core engine of industrial upgrading.
Industrial Impact: Deep Logic Behind Growth
Haining's 9.2% growth contrasts sharply with the national average of 0.96% for large-scale enterprises. This counter-trend growth stems from years of accumulation in digital transformation, original design cultivation, high-end fabric R&D, and brand building. For buyers, this means Haining offers not only cost-effective source products but also advanced design and functionality.
From a foreign trade perspective, national home textile exports grew 3.79% in the first half, while Haining is accelerating brand globalization under the regional brand "Good Fabrics, Made in Xucun." The expo concurrently hosted trade negotiations and live-stream training, indicating Haining's attempt to build a full-chain service from design to sales. For factories, the expo brings not just orders but immediate market feedback, helping adjust product structures.
It's worth noting that Haining's transformation is not an isolated case but a "Haining Model" for traditional industry upgrading. The China National Textile and Apparel Council stated it will continue to refine and promote this experience, suggesting Haining's path may become a benchmark for national home textile clusters.