Driven by both technological innovation and market demand, the textile industry is booming. The release of seasonal demand, the adjustment of the global supply chain, and the change in consumption trends have jointly spawned five hot categories, which have become the focus of industry competition and brought new opportunities and challenges to practitioners.
Functional fabrics “roll” to new heights
Consumers’ demand for health protection continues to heat up, and functional fabrics have emerged and quickly become the darling of the market. Among them, orders for antibacterial and antiviral fibers have surged, and fabrics containing composite materials such as silver ions and graphene are highly favored and widely used in medical textiles, home clothes and sportswear. The nano-copper-based antibacterial polyester developed by a Jiangsu and Zhejiang enterprise has outstanding antibacterial properties, and orders have been placed until the third quarter of 2025, with a unit price premium of more than 20% over ordinary products
At the same time, temperature-controlled smart fabrics have become another highlight in the field of functional fabrics with their unique properties. This fabric can automatically adjust temperature and adapt to extreme climate scenarios, such as Middle Eastern outdoor workwear and Nordic thermal underwear, by combining phase change materials (PCM) with photothermal responsive fibers. European and American brands’ purchases of this type of fabric increased by 35% year-on-year, showing its huge market potential
Environmentally friendly fabrics “green” a new track
Driven by stricter global environmental protection policies and ESG investment concepts, sustainable materials have become a hot area in the textile industry. Bio-based synthetic fibers, such as polylactic acid (PLA) fibers and seaweed fibers extracted from corn stalks, have become ideal substitutes for petroleum-based fibers due to their renewable and degradable properties. Driven by the EU’s carbon tariff policy, export companies’ demand for certified bio-based fibers has skyrocketed. It is predicted that the global market size of bio-based textile raw materials will exceed US$18 billion in 2025, and China’s production capacity will account for 40%, showing strong competitiveness.
Recycled polyester (rPET) also occupies an important position in the field of sustainable materials. As fast fashion brands accelerate the fulfillment of the “2030 Circular Commitment”, recycled yarn from waste plastic bottles has become the focus of core supplier bidding for brands such as ZARA and H&M. With their technological advantages, domestic leading enterprises have increased their gross profit margin to 18% – 22%, which has promoted the sustainabledevelopment of the entire industry.
National trend fabrics are “trendy” with new trends
China’s rich traditional culture has injected new vitality into the textile industry, and national trend high-end categories have become the new favorites of the market. The re-creation of intangible cultural heritage crafts, such as the integration of traditional skills such as Xiangyunsha and Kesi with modern design, has been favored by local designer brands, with procurement volume increasing by 50% year-on-year, and jacquard silk with a unit price of more than 800 yuan/meter is in short supply.
In addition, the popularity of film and television dramas during the 2025 Spring Festival has driven the Song Dynasty Hanfu craze, and orders for Hanfu and new Chinese fabrics such as jacquard satin and Suluo have doubled. Small and medium-sized weaving companies have turned to small-batch customized production to meet the market demand for personalized Hanfu fabrics, promoting the development of national trend high-end categories.
Industrial fabrics are “hot” in new markets
The application of industrial textiles in infrastructure and new energy fields has ushered in explosive growth. Wind turbine blade reinforcement materials, such as carbon fiber braids and high-strength glass fiber cloth, benefit from the expansion of offshore wind power projects, and the capacity utilization rate of leading enterprises has been greatly improved. For example, the capacity utilization rate of Zhongfu Shenying has reached 95%, showing strong market demand.
In the field of new energy vehicle interiors, the demand for flame-retardant and low-VOC automotive textiles has surged. The microfiber leather developed by Tesla’s supply chain companies has replaced traditional leather interiors, reducing costs by 30%, and has passed the EU REACH certification, opening up broad space for the application of industrial textiles in the field of new energy.
The market structure “changes” into a new trend
Against the background of global industrial structure adjustment, the trend of regional market differentiation is obvious. The production of low-cost basic fabrics has gradually shifted to Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh, while domestic companies have focused on high value-added categories, such as combed cotton above 40 counts and Tencel blends. At the same time, the Xinjiang cotton incident has prompted companies to accelerate the development of alternative raw materials such as kapok and colored cotton, and local spinning companies in Xinjiang have transformed to produce high-end denim yarns, promoting industrial upgrading.
In the current market structure, leading companies occupy a dominant position with their strong industrial chain layout and technological advantages. Tongkun, Hengli and other companies have established technical barriers in the field of recycled fibers by relying on the vertical industrial chain layout. However, small and medium-sized enterprises have also taken on small orders and quick response needs through digital order-taking platforms (such as Ali Rhino Factory), and their profit margins have increased by 5-8 percentage points, achieving differentiated development.
Today, the textile market shows a diversified development trend of hot categories. From the health and scenario needs of functional fabrics, to the policy and investment drive of sustainable materials, to the cultural empowerment of high-end categories of national trends, and the outbreak of industrial textiles in the fields of infrastructure and new energy, each hot category contains huge market potential and opportunities. In a highly competitive market environment, companies need to give full play to their own advantages, actively respond to risks and challenges, and seize market opportunities in order to stand out in the textile industry and achieve sustainable development. Huai’an Good Life Textile Company specializes in outdoor towels, changing robes, sport towels, hotel towels and hotel robes, and also some other outdoor clothing. We are also actively keeping up with the innovation trend of the fabric market. If you have any needs for new fabrics, please consult
Post time: Mar-29-2025