A single set of numbers underscores Dalan's weight in China's textile landscape: one out of every five sweaters worldwide is produced here, with an annual output of about 900 million pieces and a total industrial chain transaction value exceeding 72 billion yuan. Yet production capacity has not fully translated into brand premium. On August 26, the Dalan National Foreign Trade Transformation Base (Garment) organized 22 local enterprises to hold a supply-demand matchmaking event in Shanghai, attempting to break through in the Yangtze River Delta core market—showing buyers not just volume, but a complete supply chain from yarn to garment and original design capability.
Event Background
The matchmaking event, held at POP headquarters in Shanghai, was essentially a precise supply-demand match. The 22 companies brought products covering hemp-blend colored yarn, worsted wool, intelligent temperature-regulating functional yarn, and men's and women's knitwear, spanning all segments from raw materials to finished apparel. On-site negotiation areas allowed buyers to inspect samples, touch textures, and check color cards—an intuitive experience that facilitates cooperation more effectively than online communication. For buyers, this means they can complete the entire sourcing evaluation from yarn selection to sample development in one event, significantly reducing search costs.
The concurrent trend release for 27/28 knitwear—key stitches, colors, and detail applications—along with live demonstrations of AI-aided design tools, provided factories with value beyond orders: which yarns and silhouettes will trend next season directly shapes development direction. For SMEs, such public trend services were often paid before; now organized by the base, they gain market intelligence at a lower cost.
Industry Impact
The debut of pet knitwear was the most noteworthy signal. Transferring mature techniques like chunky knitting, fine gauge, and jacquard to pet apparel is not just a product line extension; it reveals a strategy to combat industry involution: leveraging existing capacity and technical expertise to enter high-growth niche markets. The pet economy is heating up, but few suppliers possess true knitting craftsmanship—Dalan factories hold this advantage.
More critically, the event signals Dalan's clear intent to transform from an 'OEM origin' to a 'regional brand.' Official statements emphasized 'letting buyers know Dalan, trust Dalan, and leave orders in Dalan,' backed by 150,000 computerized flat knitting machines and over 2,000 yarn enterprises. For buyers, Dalan's flexible manufacturing enables small batches and fast delivery; for factories, proactively connecting with Yangtze River Delta cross-border e-commerce buyers and brands helps reduce reliance on traditional foreign trade channels.