The 23rd World Brand Conference convened in Beijing on June 24, where World Brand Laboratory officially released the 2026 China 500 Most Valuable Brands analysis report.
The total value of the brands on this year's list reached 45.29 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.76%. The entry threshold rose to 5.089 billion yuan, and the number of top-tier brands valued at over 100 billion yuan expanded to 146, indicating a continuous rise in the overall asset quality of Chinese brands.
More than 30 brands from the textile and apparel industry made the list, spanning the entire industrial chain from raw material manufacturing and garment production to sportswear and home textiles. The industry has moved beyond the label of low-cost contract manufacturing, transitioning into a new phase of high-quality brand development driven by four key factors: technological innovation, cultural empowerment, green and low-carbon practices, and globalized operations.
The textile and apparel brands on the list include Erdos, Hengli, Weiqiao, Bosideng, K-Boxing, Septwolves, Anta, Yueda, Transfar, POP MART, Li-Ning, Snow Flying, HLA, Yalu, Sanfangxiang, Rongsheng Petrochemical, Beijirong, Tongkun, Peacebird, 361°, Shanghai Silk, Mercury, Jiaxin Silk, Modal, Jianjiang, Camel, Xtep, Jeanswest, Eral, Mendale, Semir, Ellassay, Rebecca, Beneunder, Toread, Balabala, and Ubras.
Statistics show that the number of selected textile and apparel brands ranks among the top five across all industries. The 100-billion-yuan-level brands, including Erdos, Hengli, Weiqiao, Bosideng, K-Boxing, Septwolves, Anta, and Yueda, form the foundational base of the industry's brand value.
It is noteworthy that World Brand Laboratory incorporated an AI Influence Index into its evaluation system for the first time this year. A higher AI influence indicates that a brand possesses greater authority and dissemination power within the AI ecosystem.
Xu Jing, a marketing professor at Peking University's Guanghua School of Management, stated that in the digital intelligence era, a brand is no longer merely a "knowledge structure in the consumer's mind." Instead, it is a complex system jointly sustained by consumers, platforms, algorithms, content, communities, and organizational capabilities.
The core question for future brand management is no longer simply "how to enhance brand equity," but rather "how can a brand continue to serve as an intermediary for trust, meaning, and emotion under new technological and social conditions."
Brands are no longer just telling consumers "who I am"; they must help consumers understand: why I am trustworthy, why I am relevant to you, and why I remain meaningful among numerous alternatives.
Ding Haisen, CEO of World Executive Group and World Brand Laboratory, remarked that future brand competition will not only be about capturing a place on the consumer's mental ladder but also about imprinting an indelible mark on the algorithmic map of AI.
Whoever holds greater authority within the AI ecosystem will grasp the digital key to the explosive growth of brand value in the next decade. For brand management, this represents not just a technological transformation but an upgrade in the model of brand governance and value creation.
In a future dominated by AI agents and Answer Engines (AEO), the consumer decision-making journey is shortened, and AI effectively becomes the gatekeeper of traffic. A high AI influence signifies not only that a brand has greater authority, widespread dissemination, and technological visibility within the AI ecosystem but also that the brand has successfully transcended the barriers of traditional search engines.
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