East China's Quanzhou, a global hub for textile and footwear manufacturing, launched its 2026 Fashion Week on Friday, attracting more than 10,000 designers, buyers and guests to Wulin Traditional Village for a program that fused local cultural heritage with modern design trends.
The event highlighted the city's industrial strength, with a cluster valued at over 700 billion yuan (about 9.8 billion U.S. dollars).
The opening runway linked Eastern aesthetics with manufacturing power, underscoring how Quanzhou's cultural heritage is being harnessed to reinforce its global role. The city's sports shoe output accounts for one‑fifth of the world total, and its modern sporting goods have been recognized as part of a national advanced manufacturing cluster.
Local fashion companies are leveraging technological innovation, cultural creativity and collaborative supply chains to enhance competitiveness, positioning Quanzhou as both a production powerhouse and a rising fashion capital.
"Quanzhou has already [had] a number of foundations. It's not brand new. History, culture are absolutely important for creating a cocktail of success factors.I believe that there are some commonalities between Quanzhou and Milan," said Armando Branchini, one of the founders of Milan Fashion Week and a co-founder of European Cultural and Creative Industries Alliance.
The international fashion stage is playing a vital role in accelerating China's integration with global resources. At the Quanzhou Fashion Industry (Global) Supply Chain Conference, held alongside Fashion Week, leading brands such as Anta, Xtep, Peak, Septwolves and Lilanz joined more than 300 upstream and downstream suppliers showcasing cutting‑edge technologies, innovative materials and core production capacities.
"During the conference, we can feel that everyone is securing more and more orders. Fashion is not just a dialogue within the industry. We need to engage more with global fashion and, more importantly, have more conversations with consumers," said Lin Hongnan, chairman and secretary-general of Quanzhou Fashion Industry Alliance.
Quanzhou's push signals how China's fashion industry is shifting from contract manufacturing to brand‑driven influence, using supply‑chain scale and cultural capital to compete globally. With rising orders and deeper consumer engagement, the country is positioning fashion as a new front in its industrial upgrade and global integration.
Quanzhou Fashion Week highlights fusion of cultural heritage, modern design
Quanzhou Fashion Week highlights fusion of cultural heritage, modern design
