As a millennium-old fur industry hub, Daying Town in Hebei Province is leveraging AI technology to drive industrial upgrading. In May 2025, the Fur Design Innovation Center was put into operation at the Daying Town e-commerce base. Using AI-assisted design tools, dozens of fur coat designs can be quickly generated by inputting keywords such as style and target audience, reducing the traditional three-month development cycle to within one month. The center has also connected with the China Copyright Protection Center, opening a green channel for copyright application, achieving "design as application, application as protection," thus strengthening the guarantee for original designs. In February 2026, Daying Town held a symposium on the development of the fur industry, inviting returning entrepreneurs to discuss transformation paths, continuously releasing signals of industry upgrading and transformation.
I. Supply and Demand Differentiation in the Industry Chain; Finished Product Prices Rise Against the Trend
The upstream raw material market exhibited a clear structural differentiation: mink pelts totaled approximately 4.87 million pieces, a year-on-year increase of 15.36%, marking the second consecutive year of recovery; fox pelts totaled approximately 2.16 million pieces, and raccoon pelts approximately 1.5 million pieces, year-on-year decreases of 46.70% and 39.72% respectively, remaining at low levels. Affected by weak demand, raccoon and mink pelt prices lacked support, while the rabbit pelt price index saw a slight decline; fox pelt prices remained relatively firm due to supply contraction.
Downstream consumption saw a key shift, with consumers moving from brand recognition to "selecting fur according to need," paying more attention to material grade, fit, and compliance documentation such as CITES. The market is upgrading towards transparency and service. Contrary to the raw material market trend, the fur coat price index rose 15.79% year-on-year in February, highlighting the profit restructuring brought about by design value-added, brand premium, and channel changes.
II. Industry Transformation Opportunities: Three Types of People Seize the Initiative
- AI-Powered Design Practitioners: Leveraging the AI tools of the Fur Design Innovation Center, they rapidly generate and optimize patterns, significantly shortening the R&D cycle and seizing market opportunities through efficient development.
- Copyright and Service-Based Barriers: Utilizing a green channel for copyright protection to safeguard originality, they focus on material grading, pattern adaptation, and compliant documentation, building core competitiveness through standardized services and original advantages.
- Operators Deeply Rooted in Omnichannel E-commerce: Daying has established an omnichannel model of "e-commerce + live streaming + cross-border e-commerce." On the first day of the 34th International Fur Trade Fair, online transactions reached 12.9 million yuan. The region's annual e-commerce transaction volume exceeded 100 million yuan, and annual fur shipments exceeded 10 million pieces. Online channels have become the main engine of performance growth.
III. A Thousand-Year-Old Fur Capital Rejuvenated: Industry Grand Event About to Open
From the transmission of fur-making skills by Bi Gan, the legendary ancestor of fur craftsmanship three thousand years ago, to today's AI-powered design, Daying fur is undergoing a digital transformation. The 4th China Daying Fur Culture Festival will be held on May 6-7, 2026, bringing together more than 50 business associations to explore industry trends and provide a platform for exchange and cooperation for fur industry practitioners worldwide.
