The desire for Italian goods has not disappeared in China. However, the willingness to pay the price has eroded, particularly among young consumers. It is in this disconnect that the growing ties between Milan and Keqiao—the textile district of the Chinese city of Shaoxing—can be seen. While Italian brands are seeking ways to win back their Chinese customers, designers from Keqiao are coming to present their collections at Milan Fashion Week in 2026. The nature of these exchanges is changing: China’s industrial powerhouse also intends to establish recognition for its own brands. In Milan, this ambition takes the form of four runway shows and a collective presence at the White trade show.
Four Names to Capture the Spotlight
Gu Yuandai, Liu Hongchao, Sancailiyi, and Sayaanno: these four names headline the third edition of the Keqiao runway show, dedicated to Spring/Summer 2027. Their coming together under a single regional banner does not mean they share a common aesthetic. Each is presented as embodying a distinct artistic language within a new generation of Chinese designers. The challenge lies precisely in making these differences visible, at a time when the identity of a manufacturing hub risks reducing every creation to its place of origin.
The show’s inclusion on the official Milan Fashion Week calendar is based on a three-year agreement with the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. This framework ensures the event’s continuity. For Keqiao, now in its third collaboration with the Milanese fashion industry, the goal is to sustain the relationship beyond a one-time presentation.
The choice of Milan is therefore telling. The district is seeking recognition there that production volumes alone cannot secure. A fabric demonstrates manufacturing capability; a collection embodies a vision, a brand, and a way of building a wardrobe. Without prejudging the garments that will be shown, the initiative signals this shift in focus: Keqiao wants to be recognized for its creativity as well.
Italian Prestige in the Face of Price Concerns
This move comes as trade relations between the two countries grow more complicated. During the presentation of the initiative, Mario Boselli, president of the Italy-China Foundation, distinguished between two realities that are too often conflated: the textile industry and the fashion apparel industry. The former remains marked by the long-standing strength of Chinese exports to Europe, including Italy. The latter has undergone a profound transformation since the years leading up to the pandemic.
According to his analysis, this change is not merely a consequence of the pandemic. It stems from shifts in the preferences of Chinese consumers, especially younger ones. The quality and creativity associated with “Made in Italy” continue to attract, but this appeal no longer translates into the same willingness to spend. The prestige remains; the decision to buy is becoming less straightforward. For an Italian brand, maintaining its image and converting that image into sales are now two distinct challenges.
This observation lends new depth to the Chinese presence in Milan. Italian players can no longer view China solely as a market driven by demand for their products. At the same time, the Keqiao program showcases Chinese brands eager to establish a presence outside their domestic market. It does not prove a reversal of the balance of power, but it does render insufficient any interpretation of these exchanges that assumes the roles are fixed.
Creative Ambition Backed by Industrial Scale
Keqiao is not undertaking this shift with the resources of a small, emerging collective. Located in Zhejiang Province, the Shaoxing district is one of China’s major textile industrial hubs. It is home to more than 70,000 companies, 19 of which are publicly traded. Two rank among China’s 500 largest private companies; three are among the country’s top 500 manufacturing firms.
The economic data presented illustrates the scale of this environment. The district’s gross domestic product stands at 240 billion renminbi, following a 13% increase since 2025, while per capita GDP is approximately $30,000. Total imports and exports amount to $25.9 billion, with growth continuing in the first half of 2026. Total deposits and loans at local financial institutions stand at 884.7 billion renminbi.
These figures describe a foundation, not a style. They help explain why Keqiao’s internationalization can now be organized around design and research, without abandoning its manufacturing base. The challenge lies elsewhere: shifting from a collective reputation as a manufacturer to establishing distinct brand identities. No production statistic can guarantee this recognition. This is precisely what the events in Milan are intended to help address.
At White, the collection faces the buyers’ scrutiny
The runway show is only part of the program. Fifteen brands are also participating in White Milano, an international trade show dedicated to contemporary fashion, where labels, buyers, and industry professionals come together. They are gathered in a dedicated space, with a set design and visual presentation created specifically for the occasion. The care taken with this environment complements the selection: the goal is to offer an interpretation of the brands, not simply to juxtapose their products.
Brenda Bellei, White’s general manager, has positioned this Chinese selection within the Milanese platform’s mission. This connection matters. At Fashion Week, the four participants in the runway show benefit from the setting of an official fashion show. At White, the fifteen brands enter a space organized around professional networking. The two formats address different needs, even as they serve a shared international ambition.
It is perhaps in this complementarity that the project takes on its most concrete form. Drawing attention to a brand and facilitating a dialogue between it and buyers are not interchangeable processes. A single appearance on the calendar does not, on its own, provide insight into a collection’s commercial prospects. The trade show adds this second dimension, without its participation being mistaken for a guarantee of orders.
The real obstacle also lies in distribution
For Italian companies, accessing Chinese consumers remains particularly difficult when resources are limited. Mario Boselli highlights the vulnerability of medium-sized and small-to-medium-sized brands: they do not necessarily have the resources to open their own stores, while the Chinese network of multi-brand stores remains less developed than its Italian counterpart. Caught between costly direct sales and insufficient independent retailers, their room to maneuver is shrinking.
Added to these constraints are international tensions, which Boselli believes have destabilized trade flows, leading to shifts in business activity, particularly between China and the United States. Italy also continues to run a trade deficit in textiles and apparel with China—a situation it shares with nearly all European Union countries. The Milanese initiative is therefore part of an unbalanced relationship, not a trade exchange that has suddenly become symmetrical.
The approach proposed by the president of the Italy-China Foundation is ready-to-wear, which is likely to offer better profit margins than traditional garment manufacturing. For the most exposed Italian brands, the question becomes very specific: which product to offer, at what level of profitability, and through which distribution channel to reach Chinese buyers when opening a company-owned store remains out of reach?