Lace is one of the most distinctive materials in intimate fashion. It combines design with craftsmanship, requiring precision in pattern development, knitting, dyeing and finishing, as well as consistent quality control. For lingerie, lace must also deliver softness, stretch, skin comfort and reliable performance in finished garments. Behind a seemingly delicate fabric lies a sophisticated manufacturing process.

Guangdong Xiongxing Underwear Industrial Co., Ltd. has built its expertise around these demands. Founded in 1988, the company has long focused on the research, development and manufacturing of intimate apparel and related fabrics. In 2012, it established Xiongxing Lace, expanding its business into the development, production and sales of warp-knitted lace and jacquard fabrics.

Unlike suppliers whose businesses focus exclusively on fabrics and trims, Xiongxing's lace operation remains closely connected to intimate apparel manufacturing. That connection shapes how the company approaches lace development: not simply as a decorative material, but as a component that must work within the design, construction and performance requirements of a finished garment.

1. Starting with Intimate Apparel: Designing Lace for Real Products

Lace is more than a decorative feature added to lingerie. Once incorporated into a finished garment, it must work with the pattern, construction and intended fit while maintaining the right balance of visual appeal, softness, elasticity and skin comfort.

Xiongxing draws on its experience in intimate apparel manufacturing to inform its lace development. Its business covers several complementary areas, including warp-knitted lace, weft-knitted fabrics and knitted intimate apparel. The company places particular emphasis on high-quality lace and jacquard fabrics for different product requirements.

Its portfolio includes machine-produced warp-knitted and jacquard lace, alongside handmade cutwork lace. Each requires a different set of skills. Handmade lace depends on accumulated craft knowledge and careful cutting, finishing and assembly. Industrial lace production, meanwhile, relies on equipment performance, controlled process parameters and consistent production management.

By bringing these capabilities together, Xiongxing approaches lace as a broader product development discipline—one that connects design, fabric engineering and garment manufacturing.

For brands exploring how material choices influence comfort and product performance, our guide to intimate apparel fabrics and material innovation offers further context on the role fabrics play in next-to-skin products.

2. Evolving Designs, Upgrading Production

Original pattern development is a central part of Xiongxing's product strategy. The company has a dedicated design team capable of developing more than 500 original patterns each year, alongside customised services tailored to different market requirements.

Design innovation, however, depends on the manufacturing capabilities needed to reproduce complex patterns consistently. Xiongxing has invested in advanced German Karl Mayer multi-bar jacquard lace machinery, combining equipment capabilities with its accumulated knitting expertise to support the production of intricate patterns and high-quality lace.

Its manufacturing base covers approximately 50,000 square metres and employs nearly 500 people. This production infrastructure supports the development of multiple product categories and a range of manufacturing requirements.

Quality management is integrated throughout the production process, from raw material sourcing and knitting to greige fabric inspection, dyeing and finishing, finished-product testing, fabric opening and edge trimming, final inspection, measurement, packaging and logistics.

The company also uses the Natong ERP system to manage production processes. In addition, it holds management system certifications covering quality, environmental management and occupational health and safety.

Together, these systems help establish a structured approach to production control and quality consistency across its lace products.

3. Reinterpreting Traditional Lace Through New Technology

Lace manufacturing has traditionally relied on specialist knowledge and hands-on experience. For Xiongxing, technological progress offers a way to build on that foundation rather than replace it.

In 2026, the company further introduced AI vision technology into lace quality inspection. Using industrial cameras, edge computing and AI algorithms, the system inspects fabric surfaces in real time, bringing greater automation to inspection tasks that have traditionally depended on manual checks.

This development sits alongside the company's continued investment in design expertise and traditional techniques such as handmade cutwork lace. At one end of the process, skilled craftspeople work with pattern, texture and detail. At the other, AI vision, 5G connectivity and data technologies are entering the production environment.

The two approaches address different needs, but they share the same objective: helping manufacturers deliver lace with the quality and consistency required by intimate apparel brands.

For Xiongxing, innovation is not a choice between traditional craftsmanship and modern technology. It is about bringing both together in a production system that serves the product.

This combination of design, manufacturing and technology reflects a wider shift in the evolving role of lace in intimate fashion, where lace is increasingly considered an important design material in its own right, rather than simply a finishing detail.

4. From China's Intimate Apparel Supply Chain to International Markets

Xiongxing's experience across intimate apparel manufacturing and lace production has supported collaborations with brands including Aimer, EVE'S, Maniform, Embry Form, YISELLE, Silvia, Cosmo Lady, MIIOW, Victoria's Secret, Triumph and Wacoal.

The company also operates its own import and export business to develop opportunities in overseas markets.

For lace manufacturers, participation in international industry exhibitions provides more than a platform to display products. It creates opportunities to exchange ideas directly with brands, designers, product developers and sourcing teams, helping suppliers understand changing requirements and explore potential partnerships.

At Interfilière Shanghai 2026, Xiongxing Lace will exhibit at Booth 2W19 on October 13–14 at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre.

The company will highlight four product categories:

• Levi's lace

• Handmade cutwork lace

• Jacquard fabrics

• Printed lace

These collections reflect the range of techniques and design directions within Xiongxing's product portfolio, from traditional craftsmanship to industrial fabric development.

Meet Xiongxing Lace at Interfilière Shanghai 2026

From its origins in intimate apparel manufacturing to the development of a dedicated lace business, Xiongxing has brought together original pattern design, specialist knitting capabilities, traditional cutwork techniques and AI-assisted quality inspection.

Its approach reflects an ongoing effort to connect craftsmanship with manufacturing technology, while continuing to develop products for a changing intimate fashion market.

For brands and sourcing professionals looking to explore lace, jacquard fabrics and manufacturing capabilities, Xiongxing Lace will be at Interfilière Shanghai 2026.

Exhibitor: Xiongxing Lace
Booth: 2W19
Dates: October 13–14, 2026
Venue: Shanghai Exhibition Centre, Shanghai, China

Discover more about lace innovation and material developments in intimate apparel, and join the industry at Interfilière Shanghai 2026 to connect with suppliers and explore new possibilities for future collections.