On November 27, staff at Baigou's Luggage Digital Transformation Empowerment Center demonstrated design renderings generated through a shared design platform to local merchants.
“No problem, we’ll have the design ready by this afternoon,” said Tian Jian, head of Zhiyou Student Bags, confidently responding to an urgent order from Yiwu, Zhejiang, for backpacks featuring dinosaur patterns. Instead of struggling to find a designer, Tian turned to the shared design platform at the center. Within minutes, five unique design concepts were generated using the cloud-based “AiYuanWu” platform.
“In the past, such rush orders were impossible—hiring designers was costly, prototyping alone cost over a thousand yuan, and samples took 7–10 days. Many clients simply couldn’t wait,” Tian explained. Now, with the shared platform, his business has designed nearly 100 bag styles, exporting to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
As China’s “Luggage Capital” and a national model for industrial upgrading, Baigou New City hosts over 7,000 luggage manufacturers producing nearly 1 billion bags annually. Yet, most rely on low-value OEM production, plagued by weak design capabilities and homogenization.
“To build globally competitive brands, we must innovate design and cultivate high-value independent brands,” said Liu Xiaomei, Party Secretary of Baigou New City. Through policy support and shared digital platforms, Baigou is fostering a collaborative ecosystem where merchants “take orders upstairs and design downstairs.”
Launched in May 2022, the shared design platform connects 2,600 merchants with resources like the Yiwu Animation Association and AiYuanWu, offering instant design generation and visualization. It now houses over 100,000 original patterns and 10+ product templates, from suitcases to fashion handbags.
Embracing AI, Baigou partnered with Central Academy of Fine Arts and Chunli Leather Goods to establish the “Northern AI Fashion Design Center.” Using AI tools, designers input keywords like “tote bag, gradient pink-green, dog pattern” to swiftly create original designs. “We’re no longer just following trends—we’re setting them,” said Yang Ming of Chunli, noting a 10-fold efficiency gain.
From shared designs to pattern-cutting, Baigou’s collaborative supply chain is slashing costs by 40% and cutting product launch cycles by 60%. Brands like GODSPEED and Bobo are emerging, backed by 461 design patents in 2023—a 49.68% YoY increase.
The transformation from “Baigou Manufacturing” to “Baigou Intelligent Creation” is well underway, fueled by innovation and shared digital infrastructure.
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