I. Export Market Performance and Regional Demand
The resilience of global market growth has become prominent
From January to April 2025, China's export value of clothing and clothing accessories reached 44.6197 billion US dollars. Among them, the export of knitted T-shirts performed outstandingly, increasing by 21.2% year-on-year throughout 2024, becoming one of the core categories driving clothing exports. The traditional market demand in Europe and America has continued to recover. In 2024, the export of cotton clothing to the United States and the European Union increased by 15.1% and 6.0% respectively. Among them, women's T-shirts have occupied an important share due to their high cost performance and diverse designs.
The potential of emerging markets has been unleashed
In the Southeast Asian market, Muslim fashion and new Chinese-style design have become hotspots. The sales of Muslim fashion products on the TikTok Shop Indonesia site reached 192 million US dollars, and the Muslim fashion category accounted for 26.64% on the Malaysia site. The sales of new Chinese-style clothing in Malaysia and Singapore increased by 370% year-on-year, and the orders for jacquard fabrics soared. Local consumers prefer lightweight and breathable fabrics (such as cotton blends and chiffon) and bright colors. There is a strong demand for loose silhouettes and tropical print designs.
The Middle East market: Emphasizing luxury and cultural elements, large-sized loose solid-color T-shirts are selling well on platforms such as Alibaba, and highly saturated color series like rose pink and watermelon red are particularly favored.
Personalized demands are on the rise in the North American market
American consumers have a strong demand for customized printed T-shirts. In 2025, the search volume for keywords related to "Graphic T-shirts" continued to rise, and the demand for gifts during Black Friday and the Christmas season drove up sales. Cross-border e-commerce circumvent tariffs and enhance product competitiveness through the direct delivery model from US factories. For instance, T-shirts custom-made with names and photos have a significant premium space during festivals.
Ii. Policy Environment and Trade Barriers
The EU's green barriers have been upgraded
The EU's Sustainable and Circular Textiles Strategy requires achieving the sustainability of the entire life cycle of textiles by 2030, including eco-design, microplastic restrictions, and digital product passports, etc. Chinese enterprises need to break through barriers through material innovation (such as recycled polyester, organic cotton) and technological certification (such as OEKO-TEX, GRS). For instance, JNBY has met the ESG compliance requirements of the European Union by using 22.4% sustainable raw materials and Qikun Technology providing I-REC international green certificates to offset carbon emissions.
U.S. Tariffs and Localization Layout
Against the backdrop of the United States imposing additional tariffs on imported clothing, enterprises are accelerating the restructuring of the North American supply chain. For example, SC Zhongjie has set up a factory in Mexico to produce T-shirts and uses the USMCA rules of origin to circumvent tariffs. Cross-border e-commerce achieves "local delivery" through overseas warehouses in the United States, shortening the delivery time and reducing costs.
Policy Dividend in Southeast Asia
Turkey exempts local factory-setting enterprises from an additional 40% tariff and only levies a 10% tariff to attract Chinese enterprises to set up businesses. Countries like Indonesia and Vietnam have promoted the upgrading of the clothing industry through tax incentives. Chinese enterprises can enter the local supply chain through cooperation or joint ventures.
Iii. Industry Trends and Technological Innovations
Sustainable fashion leads the upgrade of products
Material innovation: Recycled polyester, bamboo fiber, and organic cotton have become mainstream. For instance, the 5A-level antibacterial T-shirt made by Jingji in Beijing uses Xinjiang cotton, while Anta's quick-drying T-shirt is made of moisture-absorbent and breathable fabric, balancing environmental protection and functionality.
Technological breakthrough: The CIPG (Curing type On-site vulcanization Forming sealing ring) process is applied to garment connection components, enhancing sealing performance and reducing mold costs by 15%-20%. Digital printing technology supports rapid response to hot events (such as sports events and concerts), seizing the traffic dividend.
Intelligent and digital empowerment
On the design side: AI-driven design tools (such as the AI assistant developed by POP) analyze global trend data in real time, shortening the new product development cycle; 3D virtual fitting technology reconfigures the marketing logic of e-commerce and reduces the return rate.
Supply Chain: Cainiao Overseas Warehouse has launched the "Next-day Delivery to Europe" service, solving the transportation problems of large SKUs and heavy items. Cross-border e-commerce optimizes inventory management and enhances delivery efficiency through the FBA model.
Cultural integration and personalized design
New Chinese style: Elements such as horse-faced skirts and button-shaped designs are integrated into T-shirt designs, causing a craze in the Chinese market in Southeast Asia. The order volume of jacquard fabric from Haining, Zhejiang Province has reached 600,000 meters per time, highlighting the value of cultural IP.
Regional characteristics: The Southeast Asian market prefers tropical floral prints and ethnic patterns. The Middle East market tends to favor embroidery and sequin decoration. The large-sized loose fit suits the local cultural needs.
Guangzhou Spicy Girl Clothing Co., Ltd
