Artificial intelligence (AI) is moving beyond fashion design into flexible manufacturing and retail at CHIC Autumn 2026 in Shanghai, as apparel suppliers use digital tools to handle smaller orders and respond more quickly to changing consumer demand.
The China International Fashion Fair, known as CHIC, is being held from Tuesday to Thursday at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. The event brings together 738 exhibitors across 53,000 square meters of exhibition space, with more than 60,000 trade visitors expected.
The technology on display reflects a supply-chain model built around shorter production runs and faster turnaround times, rather than large orders planned far in advance.
In the fair's digital-technology exhibition area, an AI-powered virtual try-on screen photographs a visitor's face and generates an on-screen image of how selected outfits could look. The display offers a retail example of the technology's growing role in the apparel business.
The broader push goes beyond consumer-facing tools. Exhibitors are also showcasing AI applications in product development and flexible production, where brands and manufacturers are looking to better align design, sourcing and manufacturing with shifts in market demand.
CHIC's 2026 autumn program also includes industry sessions on AI-powered fashion design, digital transformation and e-commerce, highlighting the growing role of technology in China’s apparel supply chain.
China’s CHIC fair spotlights AI in apparel manufacturing
An age-old feather duster craft in north China's Hebei Province has found new life online, as livestreaming turns a village tradition into a source of income for elderly residents. In Luan'nan County, Tangshan City, Liu Wenhao, Party secretary of Zhangmawan Village, is promoting the village's handmade feather dusters alongside fellow villagers in livestreams. Since 2024, he has led villagers in bringing the traditional craft online, quickly turning it into an internet sensation.
Elderly villagers now craft dusters while also serving as online hosts, participating in livestreams and welcoming tourists. Liu Huiying is one of them.
"This is no small income. I earn about 20,000 yuan (about 2,981 U.S. dollars) a year, which is more than enough. They call me an internet celebrity. I'm happy," she said.
The feather duster craft has a long history in Zhangmawan. Once a sideline for villagers during the agricultural off-season, craftsmen worked from dawn to dusk only to sell a single duster for 0.3 to 0.5 yuan. Sales were slightly better at rural fairs, but earnings were barely enough to make a living. As modern cleaning products diversified, traditional feather dusters gradually faded from daily life.
In recent years, with the rise of short-video platforms, several young people in the village began experimenting with short videos. Their first video showing the making of a feather duster garnered more than 600,000 views.
"Our village's traditional craft was well-known throughout the region. So we thought, with so many people here skilled at making feather dusters, why not sell them online and help boost their incomes?" said Liu.
Zhangmawan has more than 200 residents over the age of 60. To boost their incomes and pass on the craft, product transformation was key. Young villagers pooled their ideas and decided to enter the cultural and creative market.
While veteran artisans persisted in handmade production, younger people focused on innovative designs, launching new items such as car hangings, bag charms, desktop ornaments and cat teasers, tailored to modern aesthetics and lifestyles.
Online popularity has also boosted offline tourism. The village has leveraged its advantages to offer craft workshops, rural sightseeing, farm meals and educational study tours, attracting a large number of visitors and children.
"You can hang it on a schoolbag or car keys -- it can go in many places. And if something gets dirty, you can use it to sweep," said Meng Shixuan, a young visitor.
"We want to keep updating our cultural and creative feather duster products, and through short videos and livestreaming, develop the village's study tour and sightseeing businesses to provide more jobs and income opportunities," Liu said.
Chinese village turns traditional feather duster craft into online hit
