On August 25, 2026, the highly anticipated 2026 Intertextile China Apparel Fabrics and Accessories (Autumn/Winter) Expo officially opened at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). As a bellwether for the global textile industry, this year's expo has brought together top-tier fabric and accessory suppliers from around the world. At this premier industry event, the Shantou delegation made its debut as a collective entity under the banner of "China's Production Base for Nylon and Spandex Fabrics." Through a comprehensive showcase of its complete nylon and spandex fabric industry chain, Shantou sent a strong signal to global buyers about the high-quality development of its textile sector, leveraging this national-level expo platform to accelerate the "Guangdong Products Going Global" initiative.
As a leading domestic production base for nylon fabrics in terms of scale, Shantou boasts an exceptionally solid industrial foundation. Over the years, the city's textile industry has cultivated the sector with dedication, establishing a complete industrial closed loop spanning yarn spinning, fabric production, dyeing and finishing, and finished products. This robust industrial ecosystem and highly efficient supply chain responsiveness have secured Shantou a significant competitive edge in both the national and global textile markets. In recent years, in response to industry transformations, Shantou's textile sector has continuously focused on extending, supplementing, and strengthening its industrial chain. A batch of upstream nylon raw material projects have been successively launched, effectively filling key gaps in the supply chain. Meanwhile, the industry has accelerated its green and low-carbon transition, shifting its development focus from traditional scale expansion to a new stage characterized by coordinated improvements in technological innovation, product quality, and regional branding, thereby continuously consolidating the core competitiveness of "China's Production Base for Nylon and Spandex Fabrics."
At this year's expo, over 30 outstanding enterprises from Shantou showcased a collective total of more than 3,500 cutting-edge fabric products. These exhibits precisely cover three core segments: sports and yoga, outdoor sun protection, and casual and business wear. They are widely applicable to diverse lifestyle scenarios, including yoga wear, sun-protective clothing, swimwear, outdoor apparel, polo shirts, underwear, and home textiles. The concentrated display of a large number of innovative new products fully demonstrates the exceptional R&D capabilities and flexible customization advantages of Shantou's fabric enterprises. In the current market environment characterized by growing demands for personalization and quick-response manufacturing, Shantou's enterprises have become a major focus at the expo thanks to their ability to precisely match the sourcing needs of domestic and international apparel brands.
The atmosphere at the expo was vibrant. The Shantou Textile and Garment Industry Association hosted a special promotion conference for the China Production Base for Nylon and Spandex Fabrics under the theme "Pooling Strength in Shantou, Weaving Brilliance in Nylon." This significant event officially kicked off the regional brand building for "Shantou Nylon." Leveraging the global trade platform provided by the expo, Shantou's nylon and spandex industrial cluster continues to expand into domestic and overseas markets, helping local fabric products reach the rest of the country and connect with the world. On-site, Shantou's nylon and spandex fabrics attracted numerous overseas buyers for business matching and negotiations, thanks to their superior quality and cost-effectiveness. After carefully examining the samples, many buyers explicitly stated they would visit Shantou's factories for on-site inspections next week, looking forward to deeper and more pragmatic cooperation.
Sun Ruizhe, President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, highly affirmed the development momentum of Shantou's nylon industry. He pointed out that Shantou is a crucial production base for China's knitting industry, endowed with a unique industrial foundation. He expressed his hopes for Shantou to base itself on the domestic market while keeping an eye on the global landscape, further optimize its industrial development path, and drive the industry to expand from the traditional underwear sector to full-category products. He emphasized the need to continuously enhance and strengthen knitted garments and nylon new materials, constantly elevating the overall competitiveness of the industrial chain, and contributing more of Shantou's strength to the high-quality development of China's textile industry.
Taking the opportunity of this Shanghai trade exchange, Shantou simultaneously released a major preview of upcoming industry events: on September 16, the Knitted Fabric Trading Market of Shantou International Textile City, in partnership with Jiangnan University, will co-host the 2026 Knitting Technology Innovation and Development Conference, alongside the inaugural opening ceremony of Nylon Avenue. The event will also feature a series of supporting activities, including fabric sourcing and matching meetings and industry trend forums. Industry experts, leading enterprises, and university research teams will gather to engage in in-depth exchanges on key topics such as nylon new material R&D, fabric technology innovation, and the commercialization of industry-academia-research achievements. The aim is to bridge the gap between scientific research and market application, injecting a steady stream of innovative momentum into the industry.
This debut at the Shanghai expo serves not only as a vital window for Shantou's nylon and spandex industry to showcase its cluster strength to the world, but also marks the official launch of the regional brand building for "Shantou Nylon." Weng Chuangjie, President of the Shantou Textile and Garment Industry Association, stated that this collective appearance has provided a high-quality platform for local enterprises to benchmark against industry frontiers and connect with global trade resources. Moving forward, the association will continue to focus on collective overseas expansion, technological innovation and R&D, regional brand cultivation, and the building of two-way supply and demand platforms, to solidify, strengthen, and optimize "China's Production Base for Nylon and Spandex Fabrics." Through relentless efforts, the association aims to continuously expand the influence of the "Shantou Nylon" regional brand, help local fabric enterprises deeply integrate with global resources, and usher in a new chapter in industrial development.