Three days, 49 companies, over 20,000 visits, and nearly 100 intended cooperations—this was the outcome of the 4th China Textile City Seoul Fabric & Accessory Exhibition. As domestic fabric order growth slows, Keqiao enterprises used an overseas offline show to prove the irreplaceable value of physical trade, revealing a deeper shift in East Asian textile supply chains: purchasing decisions are moving from pure price comparison to a comprehensive evaluation of sustainability certifications, quick response capabilities, and original design.
Event Background
The exhibition ran from August 19 to 21, leveraging the Seoul PIS International Fabric Show platform, co-hosted by Zhejiang China Textile City Group and the Korea Federation of Textile Industries. The 49 participating Keqiao companies covered knitted, woven, recycled eco-friendly, functional, and original printed fabrics. Among over 10,000 products, natural cotton, green recycled materials, sports functionality, washed-down finishes, cotton-nylon blends, and embroidery took center stage. Notably, buying teams from Lotte Fashion, JAJU, and other Korean brands attended, with total visits exceeding 20,000—a figure reflecting real demand for Chinese fabrics in the Korean market.
Prior to the show, the Keqiao delegation visited leading Korean fashion brands such as Hyundai and Donggwang International to study popular colors, print trends, and sustainable sourcing standards. This pre-show research meant participation was no longer a lucky dip but a targeted matchmaking effort. Products like Shaoxing Fanda Textile's T/R yarn-dyed fabrics and Yeshuai Textile's washed and cotton-nylon new items were tailored to Korean women's wear, casual, and outdoor styles based on these insights.
Industry Impact
Green sustainable fabrics stood out as the highlight of the exhibition. As ESG principles deepen in the Korean market, local brands' demand for GRS- and RCS-certified fabrics continues to rise. Many Keqiao companies brought certified recycled series, drawing significant buyer attention. This signals a clear directive for domestic suppliers: merely claiming "recycled" is no longer enough; certification is becoming a hard threshold for entering mid-to-high-end Korean brands. For smaller Keqiao factories without such credentials, this poses both a challenge and a differentiation opportunity.
The commercial value of offline exhibitions was once again validated. Fabric hand feel, drape, and finishing processes cannot be fully conveyed through online images, but on-site sampling and face-to-face negotiation build trust quickly. Shaoxing Changran Textile noted that offline communication captures real purchasing needs often missed online; Dongcan Textile and Changdi Import & Export said direct interaction laid a solid foundation for stable partnerships. The significance of participation extends far beyond on-site orders—through intensive exchanges, companies completed overseas market research, collected trend and pain-point information, feeding back into product development and overseas expansion strategies.