Create The "Outdoor Dream" Of "Textile County" With The Advantages Of Outdoor Sports Industry

Do you want to be your own outdoor clothing brand or continue to process foreign brands? In September 2024, after meeting and chatting with Chen Jing, Deputy County Chief of Lixin County Government, Yao Jianbo, who has been struggling in the industry for more than 30 years, decided to transform and set about building his own brand.

　　 Seeking transformation and targeting "outdoor"

Yao Jianbo, who has just turned 50 this year, is a native of Zhuji, Zhejiang Province. He entered the textile industry at the age of 17. In 2011, he came to Lixin County, Bozhou City, Anhui Province through investment promotion.

Lixin, located in northern Anhui, has many textile workers, which is naturally attractive to the labor-intensive "textile clothing industry". After Yao Jianbo came here, he has been engaged in foreign trade for more than 20 years by OEM for foreign outdoor brands.

It is no exaggeration to describe Yao Jianbo as "boring".

There are confidentiality requirements for OEM, and he is really not good at words. For many years, he hardly contacts with government departments, and few local people know this enterprise. Only closely related peers can understand Yao Jianbo's level and personality.

That is why in 2024, when Lixin combed the outdoor sports related enterprises in the county, the relevant government departments knew little about Yao Jianbo's enterprises.

Outdoor equipment exhibition area of an enterprise in Lixin County. Photographed by Ruan Yuling

"Although there is not much information, after analysis, we found that this enterprise should be very good. After more than 20 years of continuous operation, it shows that the order is stable, and customers recognize him very much. Employees rarely leave, which shows that he treats people and things very kindly. Such enterprises and entrepreneurs deserve our trust," said Chen Jing, deputy county head of Lixin County.

Why do we need to carry out industrial thorough investigation? What is the analysis of the enterprise? The reporter learned in the interview that the strategic layout behind it is the transformation and development of the textile and clothing industry in Lixin County.

Over the years, relying on a large number of textile workers, Lixin County has focused on "one piece of cloth", regarded "light textile and clothing industry" as one of the two leading industries, gathered more than 500 various textile and clothing enterprises, and became a county characteristic industrial cluster (base) in Anhui Province. In September 2023, Lixin County was rated as "China's emerging textile industry base county".

"Light textile clothing is a traditional industry, how to carry out transformation and upgrading? In recent years, on the one hand, we have promoted scientific and technological innovation to empower enterprises with new quality productivity, on the other hand, we have analyzed the market to find a better industrial development orientation." Chen Jing introduced that in 2024, Lixin County will further clarify the industrial development ideas and seize the development opportunities of outdoor sports industry, Start to launch the "Lixin Outdoor" regional brand in an all-round way.

Aiming at "outdoor", Lixin County is not out of the blue.

Over the years, in the fertile land of the textile clothing industry, the "outdoor sports clothing" of Lixin County has sprung up, and the well-known outdoor sports brand "Boxihe" has taken root here. In 2024, Boehe's annual output value will be 3.207 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 245.8%. During the "Double 11" event, e-commerce sales will reach more than 900 million yuan. From 2023 to 2024, Boehe will be awarded the "Top 10 categories of innovative textile products of the year" by China Textile Federation, and its year-on-year growth rate will continue to rank first among China's outdoor brands.

In addition to Boxihe, in the outdoor sports industry chain, Lixin County has also gathered Anhui Jingshenghe Garments, Lixin Lingsheng Garments and other professional production enterprises, among which Lixin Lingsheng Garments is Yao Jianbo's enterprise.

Workers are busy in an outdoor clothing production enterprise in Lixin County. Photographed by Ruan Yuling

　　 Strong confidence and full force

Lixin's comprehensive efforts in outdoor industry are a great benefit to relevant enterprises, especially for Yao Jianbo, which has strengthened the confidence in transformation.

In fact, as early as 2023, Yao Jianbo and his friend Sun Tao established Bozhou Feipao Outdoor Products Co., Ltd. in Lixin, intending to give play to his professional expertise and create his own outdoor brand, but he has been hesitant since the establishment of the company.

"There used to be friends and peers who transformed to do domestic sales, but it was not easy to develop the market, and it was difficult to build brands, and many of them lost money. In the last two years, the foreign trade situation is not good, and we also know that we must change, but it is really lack of confidence." Yao Jianbo said.

After hesitating for a year, in September 2024, Yao Jianbo learned that the county leaders came to him.

In that chat, Chen Jing frankly introduced Anhui's emphasis on the outdoor sports industry, the ideas, plans and deployment of Bozhou City and Lixin County to develop the industry, and the various supports that the county can give.

"After your products are made, the county leaders will at least buy one and endorse it wherever they go." Yao Jianbo believes that Chen Jing said this, because Bohe has always enjoyed this treatment. Not only Lixin County, but also the leaders of Bozhou City are "salesmen" wherever they go.

Since then, Yao Jianbo and Sun Tao's own brand building has begun to enter the "fast lane". The corporate philosophy, product positioning, fabric selection, plate design, etc. have been implemented one by one. They even introduced professionals from Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts through equity to comprehensively update and upgrade the brand logo, style and modeling.

Yao Jianbo is introducing the details of outdoor clothing production to reporters. Photographed by Ruan Yuling

"Previously, outdoor clothing was mainly to meet the needs of skiing and mountaineering, with high functional requirements. Now outdoor clothing is closer to life, and we believe that with our professional level and strong local support, we can do a good job." On April 11 this year, Yao Jianbo introduced in an interview that they have completed the design of the product board, The new product will be available soon.

The reporter learned from Lixin County that at the end of March this year, Anhui Province issued an action plan to promote the high-quality development of outdoor sports (2025 - 2030). The county improved the list of 16 key tasks for high-quality development of outdoor sports industry in combination with the actual situation, and defined the development goals of outdoor sports industry.

It is planned to build an outdoor sports industrial park, accelerate the construction of Boxihe outdoor sports industrial park, prepare to build a functional fabric research and development center, and further strengthen fund guidance... Now, the outdoor sports industry in Lixin County is fully advancing.

"We have put forward five 'first', the first leading industry, the first brand building, the first cadre promotion, the first joint construction, the first element guarantee, and focus on building a cluster county with advantages in outdoor sports industry. We will strive to achieve new materials (light textile clothing) above the county scale this year through the brand leadership of 'Lixin Outdoor' The output value is more than 8 billion yuan, and the total output value of new materials (textile clothing) industry is 20 billion yuan. ”Chen Jing said.

(Source: People's Daily Online)