Author name: Benjamin TAO

Amid the explosive boom in artificial intelligence applications, digital and intelligent technologies are empowering all industries. The textile industry has taken the lead in practical application, deeply integrating intelligent technologies across the entire industrial chain, injecting strong innovative impetus into the industry’s leap from “manufacturing” to “intelligent manufacturing”. From March 11 to 13, 2026, the Digital Fashion Innovation Space, a special exhibition zone at the 2026 China International Textile Fabrics & Accessories (Spring/Summer) Expo, made its fresh debut at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), presenting the industry with an “AI + Textile” innovation feast featuring both technological sophistication and practicality. Focusing on four core application scenarios — design and R&D, production and manufacturing, operation and management, and digital standards — the exhibition zone brought together 8 cutting-edge digital technology enterprises. Using full-link digital and intelligent technologies to address industry transformation pain points, it comprehensively showcased cutting-edge achievements and vivid practices of textile digitalization from creative design to production implementation, and from corporate management to industry standards, allowing attendees to experience firsthand the transformative changes intelligent technology has brought to the textile industry. The Digital Fashion Innovation Space is hosted by the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC), and organized by the Productivity Promotion Department of CNTAC, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Textile Industry Sub-Council, the China Textile Information Center, the Textile Development Center, and the Fashion Industry Digital Technology Innovation Ecological Community. Leading officials visited the exhibition, including: Sun Ruizhe, Secretary of the Party Committee and President of CNTAC; Xia Lingmin, Secretary-General of CNTAC; Xu Yingxin, Vice President of CNTAC and President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Textile Industry Sub-Council; Yan Yan, Vice President of CNTAC and Secretary of the Party Committee of the China Textile Information Center; Zhang Yankai, Former Vice President of CNTAC; Zheng Weiliang, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of China Textile Publishing House Co., Ltd.; Hu Song, Director of the China Textile Information Center; Li Bo, Director of the Productivity Promotion Department of CNTAC, Deputy Director of the China Textile Information Center, and Director of the Textile Development Center; Chen Baojian, Deputy Director of the Textile Development Center. Setting Standards to Keep Textile Transformation on Course As the digital transformation of the textile industry accelerates, challenges remain, including high energy consumption, insufficient collaboration efficiency, and underutilized data value. There is an urgent need to establish a standard system to guide the standardized and orderly upgrading of the entire industry. The China Textile Information Center, together with textile manufacturers, digital service providers, and research institutions, has established a special task force for digital transformation in the textile industry, systematically launching the research on the “One Map, Four Lists” for digital transformation in the sector. The map outlines 50 main scenarios and 41 sub-scenarios, and innovatively extracts four key elements for each scenario: data element list, knowledge model list, technical tool list, and talent skill list, providing precise guidance for different stakeholders. Textile manufacturers can use it to assess their digital maturity and plan transformation paths; digital service providers can develop high-value solutions based on these scenarios; industry institutions can take it as an important basis for standard-setting and policy support. To date, the task force has participated in developing 1 national standard and 6 group standards, gradually building a unified coordinate system and public platform for digital transformation in the textile industry, enabling textile enterprises to pursue a more stable and far-reaching transformation journey. Boundless Creativity: Inspirations Flourish on Screen When AI meets textiles, design inspiration is being redefined. Digital technologies have solved core pain points in traditional design, such as long sample production cycles and large deviations in design implementation, unlocking greater possibilities for textile and apparel design. With more than a decade of dedication to 3D digital fashion, CLO Virtual Fashion provides end-to-end digital solutions for thousands of customers worldwide. Its industry-leading 3D garment simulation technology accurately reproduces fabric texture and dynamic garment effects, bringing creative ideas to life on screen and greatly reducing sample production cycles and costs. Meanwhile, its CLO-SET cloud platform, CONNECT designer community, and CLOzFab fabric measurement suite work in synergy, supporting enterprises in upgrading intelligent production and improving design implementation efficiency based on high-precision digital fabrics. Upholding the core philosophy of “Integrating Science and Aesthetics to Empower Color”, Shanghai Yuancai Technology Co., Ltd. (COLORO) has developed three intelligent color cloud systems, illuminating the full color chain of textile fashion through digital power. Together, they make color application more scientific, efficient, and environmentally friendly. Boosted Production: Green Intelligent Manufacturing & Rigorous Quality Control The most visible shift from “manufacturing” to “intelligent manufacturing” lies in production. The Digital Fashion Innovation Space showcased full solutions covering green dyeing and printing, intelligent quality control, and full-process management, driving textile production toward higher efficiency, lower carbon emissions, and greater precision. Long-standing problems plaguing traditional dyeing and printing — high consumption, low efficiency, difficult color control, and insufficient small-batch flexible production — are being resolved one by one through digital and intelligent technologies. Hangzhou Huanyu Smart Technology Co., Ltd. independently developed the TDSD® green intelligent dyeing process for textiles, which reconstructs the traditional water-bath dyeing model with micron-level precision inkjet technology. Compared with conventional processes, it reduces water consumption by nearly 99%, cuts chemical usage by 21%, and boosts production efficiency by 5 to 10 times, helping enterprises achieve sustainability goals while winning the dual benefits of “green + high efficiency”. With nearly 30 years of deep cultivation in textile dyeing digitalization, Hangzhou Techfund Data Technology Co., Ltd. is a true pioneer and game-changer in the industry. As early as 1997, the company launched the PCL central control system for dyeing machines, breaking long-term foreign monopolies and filling domestic technological gaps. Committed to independent innovation in both software and hardware, its business covers the entire industrial chain of weaving, dyeing, and trade. Its built ERP/MES full-link digital system enables refined management of the entire production process, empowering textile enterprises with one-stop