Who This Guide Is For
This is a trip-planning guide, not a trade-show directory. It answers one question: if you buy scarves, hijabs or printed accessories, which Chinese fairs are worth a plane ticket, and how do you turn a badge into a working supplier relationship? Every date, venue and product-scope statement below comes from the organisers’ own published information for 2026. Where a figure varies by source, we say so rather than picking a number.
Key Takeaways
- Four fairs matter for scarves, and they do different jobs. Canton Fair Phase 3 shows finished fashion accessories; Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is where fabric and print are developed; Keqiao is mill-level fabric country; the Yiwu fair plus the permanent Yiwu market is where you buy small quantities any week of the year.
- The autumn calendar actually chains together. Canton Fair Phase 1 runs 15–19 October, Phase 2 23–27 October and Phase 3 31 October–4 November, with changeover gaps on 20–22 and 28–30 October. The Yiwu fair (21–24 October) and the Keqiao autumn expo (5–7 November) sit in or next to those windows, so one ticket can cover finished goods, small-lot spot buying and fabric sourcing.
- A fair proves less than you think — that is its value. A booth visit establishes whether the person you will email for years exists, answers precisely, and can produce a sample to your spec. Everything else still needs documentation.
- Bring a spec sheet, not a mood board. Dimensions, fibre, weave, target weight, print method, labels, packaging, quantity and Incoterm. Without it you collect cards you cannot compare.
- The expensive part is not the ticket. It is the follow-up you never send. Sampling and courier costs are small next to one bulk order placed with the wrong factory.
The Four Fairs That Matter — And What Each Is Actually For
Direct answer: go to Canton Fair for finished accessories and supplier breadth, to Intertextile for fabric and print development, to Keqiao for mill-level fabric pricing, and to Yiwu when your order is too small for the other three.
Most first-time buyers pick one show, walk it for two days, and conclude that all Chinese suppliers look alike. The difference between the fairs is not scale — it is which part of the supply chain each one exposes.
| Fair | Venue & 2026 dates | Best for | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canton Fair (China Import and Export Fair), Phase 3 | China Import and Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou. Phase 3: 1–5 May and 31 Oct–4 Nov, daily 09:30–18:00 | Finished fashion accessories and fittings, textile raw materials and fabrics, home textiles; export-ready manufacturers at scale | Booth hours and crowds leave little time for spec detail; many exhibitors quote container-scale mindsets |
| Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics | National Exhibition and Convention Center, Shanghai. Spring edition 11–13 March, autumn edition 25–27 August, 09:00–18:00. Greater Bay Area edition 9–11 June in Shenzhen | Fabric, yarn, print and trim development; seeing next-season direction; design studios and trend areas | You meet fabric suppliers, not necessarily finished-scarf makers — you still need a cut-make-trim partner |
| Keqiao Textile Expo (China Shaoxing Keqiao International Textile Expo) | Shaoxing Convention & Exhibition Center. Spring 7–9 May, autumn 5–7 November, roughly 09:00–17:00 | Mill-priced fabric in the cluster that hosts China Textile City, including a dedicated scarf market zone | Less English-language infrastructure than Shanghai or Guangzhou; you will want an interpreter or a local contact |
| China Yiwu International Commodities Fair + permanent trade city | Yiwu International Expo Center, Yiwu, Zhejiang. 21–24 October 2026 (32nd edition); the permanent market trades year-round | Small-lot, ready-to-ship buying; comparing dozens of stalls in one building; topping up between production runs | Stall-holders range from factories to intermediaries — you must still ask who manufactures |
Two structural facts about Guangzhou matter before you plan. The three phases run separately with changeover days between them, so confirm which phase holds your section before booking. And Phase 3 also holds apparel, footwear and cases and bags — pre-filtering booth numbers on the organiser’s exhibitor search turns a sore back into a productive two days.
A Workable Autumn Itinerary
Direct answer: if your category is finished scarves and you also want fabric options, fly into Guangzhou for Phase 3, then take the high-speed rail to Yiwu, and add Shanghai or Keqiao only if you are developing your own prints.
Here is how the dates line up, using the organisers’ published calendars:
- Guangzhou, 31 Oct – 4 Nov: Canton Fair Phase 3. Two full days usually covers a pre-filtered list of 15–25 booths at roughly 20 minutes each, skipping anyone who cannot show a physical sample in your size.
- Changeover days, 28–30 Oct: the natural travel window. Keep one day free for factory visits offered by shortlisted suppliers.
- Yiwu, any week you like: the Yiwu fair itself runs 21–24 October, but the permanent market does not close, and Yiwu is roughly 1.5 hours from Shanghai Hongqiao by high-speed rail and 30–40 minutes from Hangzhou East — so the stop can be built into almost any trip.
- Keqiao, 5–7 Nov: the day after Canton Phase 3 closes, about 20 km from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. Worth adding only if you intend to buy fabric rather than finished pieces.
That is a lot of travel. Most buyers should choose two stops on a first trip: one prepared phase plus a Yiwu day beats four exhausted shows.
Before You Fly: The File You Cannot Assemble Later
The quality of your shortlist is decided before you leave. Assemble one page per target style — physical copies, because you will hand them over.
- Specification: dimensions in centimetres, fibre composition, weave (twill, satin, crepe de Chine, organza), desired weight or acceptable weight range, finishing (rolled, tailored or machine-hemmed edges)
- Artwork, if custom: vector or 300-dpi raster at final print size, colour references, and your tolerance for colour shift between proof and bulk
- Branding requirements: woven label, care label, hang tag, barcode, pouch or gift box — each affects unit quotation and lead time
- Commercials: target quantity per design and colour, target landed cost range rather than a single magic number, and your preferred Incoterm
- Compliance needs: fibre-content labelling rules for your market, any restricted-substance requirements your retail customers impose, and your customs broker’s HS classification for your construction
Then do the paperwork. Overseas buyer pre-registration at the Canton Fair is done online ahead of time and the fair issues invitation letters that buyers commonly use to support a business (M) visa application — but issuance is decided by your consulate, so apply weeks early and treat the letter as one document in the file, not a guarantee.
At the Booth: The 20 Minutes That Tell You Everything
A fair booth cannot tell you whether a factory is honest. What it can tell you is whether the person opposite you is an engineer of the product or a reseller of someone else’s catalogue. Ask open questions and let the answer lengthen.
| Ask this | What you are really testing | A strong answer sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| “Which part of this do you make, and which do you buy in?” | Whether they own printing, cutting and finishing or only assembly | A specific breakdown: printed in-house, labels outsourced, hem done on site — with named processes |
| “What is the smallest order you will run in this construction?” | Whether they are reachable for your first buy | Ready stock counted in packs of ten per style and colour; custom print counted per design, per colourway |
| “How long from artwork to sample, and from payment to bulk?” | Whether their calendar matches yours | Two separate numbers, quoted from different trigger points, not one vague “about a month” |
| “Which countries do you ship to, and on what terms?” | Whether they have done your route before | Named carriers with tracking, named Incoterms, and a clear statement that duties are yours at destination |
| “Can I have this piece as a sample?” | Whether the object matches the file | They photograph your spec sheet, write the stall number on it, and quote a sample lead time |
Take a photograph of every booth number next to the product and write a one-line verdict on the card the same evening — photography is usually permitted but not universal, so ask before shooting a design wall. Within 72 hours, memory of which factory had the better hand-feel is gone.
After the Fair: Turning Cards Into a Decision
The trip does not pay off until samples are on your desk. Consolidate within one week while everyone is still at the show, then run a disciplined comparison.
- Shortlist to three. More parallel samples cost more in fees and attention than they return in information.
- Send one identical spec sheet to all three. Differences in their responses are real data; differences caused by your own shifting brief are noise.
- Compare landed cost, not unit price. Convert every quote to your door first. Import duty is set by your country’s customs and payable by you on delivery, so it belongs in your cost column even when someone else books the transport.
- Run the same verification you would run online. Ask for the registered company name and its unified social credit code, and confirm that contract, invoice beneficiary and packing list will all show one name.
- Order one pre-production sample of the winning style and approve it physically. Screen approval is a convenience for both sides, not a standard.
Two notes worth keeping. Construction determines the customs heading before fibre does — woven scarves generally fall in heading 6214 and knitted ones in 6117 — but the subheading and duty rate depend on your destination and composition, so confirm them per shipment with your broker. And plan backwards: sampling typically takes one to two weeks from confirmed artwork and bulk production several weeks after payment, before transit is added.
About the Supplier
XY Fashion — operated by YIWU MIYU APPAREL CO.,LTD, a scarf, hijab and fashion-accessory manufacturer based in Yiwu, Zhejiang, China, trading under the XY Fashion brand since 2008. We are in the Yiwu cluster, which means a visit does not need to wait for a fair week.
- Address: Unit 2, Building 33, Futian 3rd District, Futian Street, Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province, 322000, China
- Email: sales@xy-fashion.com / mike@xy-fashion.com
- Phone / WhatsApp: +86 153 8174 1977
- Meeting us: the permanent Yiwu International Trade City keeps District 4 — socks, scarves, textiles and home textiles — open most weeks of the year, with individual stalls addressed by district, floor, aisle and stall number
- MOQ: ready stock from 1 pack (10 pcs) per style and colour, with colours and sizes mixable within a style; custom print programmes from 500 pcs per design
- Development: OEM and ODM — your artwork, or ours adapted to your brief; woven labels, care labels, hang tags, barcodes and pouches against your branding
- Lead times: sampling 7–14 days from artwork confirmation; bulk production 25–30 days after payment
- Trade terms: DAP, EXW and FOB by air or sea, shipping to 77 countries with tracking via DHL, FedEx or UPS
- Import duties: not included in the item price or shipping cost — set by your country’s customs and payable by you on delivery
We do not currently hold third-party certifications such as OEKO-TEX or BSCI. If your retail channel requires one, ask for current test reports and compliant labelling options before you place the order rather than after.
If your trip is already booked, send us your spec sheet before you fly. We will prepare physical samples in your size range so your visit starts with cloth rather than conversation — and if you cannot come this season, the same file works by email.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Canton Fair phase should I attend for scarves?
Phase 3. Its published sections include men and women’s clothing, fashion accessories and fittings, textile raw materials and fabrics, cases and bags, and home textiles. In 2026 Phase 3 runs 1–5 May (spring) and 31 October–4 November (autumn) at the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou, with daily opening hours of 09:30–18:00.
Are the Yiwu fair and the permanent Yiwu market the same thing?
No. The China Yiwu International Commodities Fair is a four-day event — the 32nd edition runs 21–24 October 2026 at the Yiwu International Expo Center, with around 4,500 booths and organiser estimates of roughly 180,000 buyer visits. The International Trade City is a permanent five-district wholesale complex trading most of the year, and its District 4 covers socks, scarves, textiles and home textiles. Because they sit close together, fair days and market days can be combined.
Can I visit several of these fairs in one trip?
Yes, with rail rather than flights. Yiwu is roughly 1.5 hours from Shanghai Hongqiao by high-speed rail and 30–40 minutes from Hangzhou East, and Keqiao is about 20 km from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. The autumn sequence is workable: the Yiwu fair (21–24 October) falls between Canton Phase 1 and Phase 2, and the Keqiao autumn expo (5–7 November) opens the day after Phase 3 closes.
How do I compare quotations collected at different booths?
Convert every quote to landed cost before comparing. An EXW price excludes carriage entirely; a DAP price includes carriage to your door but still excludes import duties, taxes and VAT, payable by you on delivery. Confirm the HS classification with your broker — woven scarves generally fall in heading 6214 and knitted ones in 6117 — and apply the duty rate they quote for that shipment.
What is the smallest order a first-time buyer can realistically place?
For ready stock, our own minimum is one pack of 10 pieces per style and colour, with colours and sizes mixable within a style, making a 30–60 piece opening order across three to five styles practical. Custom printed designs start at 500 pieces per design because artwork setup, colour separation and strike-off are fixed costs regardless of run length. Sampling runs 7–14 days from artwork confirmation and bulk production 25–30 days after payment.
Wholesale & bulk orders
XY Fashion is a scarf manufacturer supplying wholesalers, boutiques and brands worldwide. Explore our wholesale programs:
- Wholesale 90×90cm Silk Twill Scarves | XY Fashion
- Wholesale Crepe de Chine Silk Scarves | XY Fashion
- Wholesale Satin Scarves in Bulk | XY Fashion
- Wholesale Organza Scarves in Bulk | XY Fashion
- Silk Scarf Manufacturer in Yiwu, China | XY Fashion
- OEM & Private Label Scarf Supplier | XY Fashion
- Custom Hijab Wholesale