China is one of the world’s biggest clothing production and consumer markets. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, there were 13,635 enterprises with an operating income of RMB 568,158 billion ($80,127 billion) in China’s garment industry in the first half of 2024. Mr. Yang Jian, Executive Chairman of the China Fashion Association and speaker of BRICS+ Fashion Summit, describes how China’s fashion industry works and talks about its development trends.
The China Fashion Association (CFA) was founded in 1993 as the country’s first professional fashion industry organization. By holding fashion exhibitions and forums, design competitions, vocational training, magazine publishing and other projects, we have created “China First” in many aspects, with China Fashion Week as our biggest project. The event takes place in Beijing twice a year, in March and September. This is the first national platform where fashion companies showcase their designs, products and technologies. Industry representatives can network here, promote their brands, seek expert advice and engage in other activities. China Fashion Week is an independent project run by the China Fashion Association and currently receives no government funding.
In 2020, the Chinese government put forward the 3060 Goal (the goal of carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060). In 2021, China’s textile and garment industry identified “science and technology, fashion and green” as the new development label. At China Fashion Week, we advocate new concepts, new technologies and new materials for pushing China’s textile and garment industry toward low-carbon, green and sustainable development.
The fashion industry development trend is diversified, including a trend toward globalization led by big companies, the rise of local brands and emergence of personalized, niche brands with distinct style positioning. Big companies are expanding their market share and consolidating their dominant position by means of global layout, resource integration and technology applications such as Big Data and AI. Meanwhile, local and segmented brands leverage regional culture and design to adapt quickly to market needs and offer innovative products. It is believed that, in the future, more diversified and segmented markets determined by consumer demand will coexist and influence one another for jointly promoting the fashion industry’s prosperity and development.
China’s domestic market is huge, so Chinese fashion designers focus primarily on this market. As they mature and succeed at home, they shift their focus towards global markets. In recent years, Chinese designers have presented at Moscow Fashion Week, as well as the four major fashion weeks in Paris, Milan, London and New York. For example, haute couture designer Guo Pei has participated in Paris Fashion Week for many years in a row, becoming the first invited member of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode from China, her works being known for their gorgeous craftsmanship.
As a representative of young Chinese designers, Chen Peng has also been on the official Paris Fashion Week schedule for many years. I should also mention Mao Baobao, winner of the 2023 China Fashion Design “Top Award”, the highest Chinese fashion designer award. His brand CHICCOMAO was presented at Milan Fashion Week for the first time this year and successfully entered the official show calendar.
China has a number of outstanding fashion brands that not only occupy an important position on the domestic market but have also won wide recognition and praise on the international stage. Take KENSUN, a Chinese fashion brand that has emerged in recent years, ushering in a new era of Chinese fashion. In addition to skillfully combining traditional classical elements with innovative modern concepts, this brand shows great imagination and action in experimental fabric materials. KENSUN will showcase its latest collection at this Moscow Fashion Week.
China’s fashion industry integrates traditional and modern, Oriental and Western design elements to inject new vitality into global fashion trends. At the same time, Chinese brands focus on environmentally friendly materials and sustainable production methods, which enhance their brand image and set an example for the industry. As Chinese brands grow and innovate, their role in the global fashion world will continue to expand.
AI integration will undoubtedly revolutionize the fashion industry. First, AI technology will greatly improve design efficiency and precision. Through Big Data analysis, AI can capture the latest trends and help designers quickly generate design solutions that meet market needs. In addition, AI can provide brands with more precise market positioning and product strategy by simulating and predicting consumer behaviour. The convergence of AI will make the fashion industry more efficient, personalized and sustainable. In production processes, AI optimizes the supply chain to improve efficiency and reduce waste, while intelligent robots improve production speed and quality. In terms of marketing, AI enables precision through data analysis, and personalized recommendation systems and virtual fitting rooms enhance the shopping experience. In terms of customer service, AI chatbots provide instant service to improve customer satisfaction. In short, AI will make the fashion industry more efficient and personalized, while brands need to adapt to the new technology to become more competitive.
China’s textile and garment industry attaches great importance to digital transformation and upgrading, and many enterprises are making a lot of useful attempts in this domain, are already using AI to optimize the processes I have described above.
The China Fashion Association is encouraging a new generation of designers and emerging brands. In 2019, China Fashion Week launched an annual Emerging Designer Award. A total of 15 promising new fashion designers and ten promising new accessory designers have received the award. Let me tell you about the 2023 award recipients.
Zhao Jiarong founded MOLE’NERATION in 2021. The brand’s first precollection was released at London Fashion Week. The brand uses traditional Chinese colours with a contemporary fashion atmosphere. He Mengmeng and his brand MOE HO advocate the concept of sustainable development. Shuxuan Guo created SHUXUAN G, a brand devoted to exploring integration of fashion and art, and creating classic fashion unaffected by fashion changes and trends.
