Texworld: How Chinese manufacturers are adding value through textile innovation and CSR

Chinese manufacturers at the Texworld Apparel Sourcing trade show, held from February 2 to 4, 2026, are no longer positioning themselves solely as high-volume suppliers. Instead, they are key players capable of integrating Western demands for technological innovation and CSR. Oracle, Huaren Linen and Healcell are prime examples of this shift.

Oracle: cutting-edge technology on an industrial scale for international brands

Specialising in the development of technical fabrics, Oracle works on textiles that incorporate advanced functional properties for outerwear. The company has an integrated development hub with around 130 employees, while the production unit employs over 800 staff.

The innovation lies in the textile design itself. It combines thermal performance with adaptation to Western aesthetic criteria such as colours, trends and surface finishes, particularly a matte look for puffer jackets. Oracle focuses exclusively on designing the outer fabric. The filling for puffer jackets, such as duck down, is selected and supplied by the client brands, making animal welfare their responsibility.

These textiles are produced on a large scale. For some applications like puffer jackets, volumes exceed several hundred thousand units. Ken Mei, the director, mentions an annual production of approximately forty million metres of fabric.

Oracle collaborates with 200 brands, including 80 established international labels. The US accounts for 40 percent of its business. The American market is dynamic and stable due to the frequent rotation of brands. While Oracle has noted a decrease in order volumes from the European market, Europe still accounts for 40 percent of its turnover with brands such as Mango, Zara, Hugo Boss and Célio. The Chinese market, meanwhile, is growing. Oracle has a long-standing partnership with Bosideng.

Huaren Linen: linen as the foundation of an industrial CSR strategy

Founded in 2003, Huaren Linen (Harbin Huaren Group) specialises in producing 100 percent linen fabrics and blends of linen/viscose; linen/cotton; linen/Tencel; linen/nylon; and linen/Sorona polyester, a synthetic fibre made from corn-derived glucose.

The company states that it continuously invests in eco-innovative materials such as recycled linen, biodegradable polyesters and functional fibres, including 37.5 technology designed to regulate body temperature.

The linen used is primarily grown in Northern Europe, including France, Belgium and the Netherlands. It is purchased as combed fibres. The transformation process, which includes spinning, weaving, dyeing and printing, is carried out in China, mainly in Harbin in the northeast of the country.

Huaren Linen has two in-house factories for spinning, weaving and finishing, as well as industrial partnerships with dyeing and printing facilities.

The firm has five offices in China, five abroad in New York, London, Tokyo, Dhaka and Bangalore, and dedicated sales teams in Spain, Italy and Australia.

The stated production capacity is approximately 6,000 tonnes of fibre per year. This equates to several tens of thousands of spools produced monthly and a shipping volume of around twenty-five million metres of fabric.

The company works with over 100 international brands, such as Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and FatFace in the UK, and Monoprix in France. This generates a turnover exceeding 60 million dollars, based on 2022 figures.

CSR is integrated into Huaren Linen's corporate narrative. It is presented as a core pillar of the company's industrial and product development strategy. The commitments are stated declaratively, without any quantified indicators.

Healcell: biodegradable seaweed-based fibres that are more environmentally friendly

Healcell was established in 2005, initially focusing on conventional fabrics. In 2008, the company made a strategic shift towards researching marine-based plant components. By 2013, Healcell successfully extracted fibres from this natural raw material, leading to the filing of several patents.

The process involves low-temperature extraction and precipitation under an inert gas, a transformation method carried out in a neutral atmosphere to preserve the material's properties. The extracted components include polysaccharides, which are natural molecules, and vitamins naturally present in seaweed.

The seaweed-based fibres have bio-antibacterial, deodorising, biocompatible, anti-mould and anti-static properties. A demonstration at the Texworld trade show revealed that some of the developed fibres also have electrically conductive properties.

Healcell employs nearly 300 people. The company operates four industrial parks in the Shandong province in eastern China and holds 17 invention patents.

The firm reports having participated in the development or revision of five Chinese national standards. It positions itself as one of the few Chinese players to have mastered the entire seaweed fibre technology.

The developed fibres are used in several sectors, including functional textiles; health and wellness; biomedicine; and military and aerospace applications.

Textiles made from seaweed fibres are more expensive than standard fabrics, costing 30 to 50 percent more than viscose or modal. Minimum order quantities are not strictly defined. If stock is available, volumes are flexible. For specific developments, research and development costs apply.

Currently, existing commercial collaborations are mainly with Chinese sports brands. The company is targeting a global market with no geographical priority. Steps are being taken to develop partnerships in Europe, the US and Australia. This is Healcell's first time participating in the Texworld Paris trade show.

Trajectories that illustrate the evolving role of Chinese manufacturers in the textile industry

The cases of Oracle, Huaren Linen and Healcell highlight different industrial approaches presented at Texworld. These examples demonstrate a rapid ability to adapt to the expectations of international markets.

“As soon as there is market demand for sustainable, high-quality or accessible products, Chinese manufacturers adapt and respond,” Julien Schmoll, marketing and communications director at Messe Frankfurt France, the organiser of Texworld Apparel Sourcing, told FashionUnited. “They are responsive, engage directly with clients and can sometimes be persistent.”

This dynamic confirms China's role not just as a production base, but as an active player in the transformation of the global textile industry.

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