Journal of Evolutionary Studies in Business | 2026
Authors: Zhang J.; Donzé P.
DOI: 10.1344/jesb.46742
Journal: Journal of Evolutionary Studies in Business
Year: 2026
Publisher: Universitat de Barcelona, Facultad de Economia y Empresa
Document Type: Article
Open Access: All Open Access; Gold Open Access
Cited by: 0
This paper investigates the structural transformation of the Chinese apparel industry from 1980 to 2020. Following an approach of industry studies and classic business history, it focuses on the 10 largest apparel companies in the four decades since the 1980s. Drawn from a broad range of published sources and official data, it analyses the ownership transition and entrepreneurial strategies of these companies under the changing institutional context. The findings show how different types of firms were able to use regulations and policies to dominate the industry. The study contributes to literature by exhibiting the dynamics of the industry development from the perspective of companies and entrepreneurs. © University of Barcelona, 2026. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use and distribution of the original work or its derivative works, provided the original work is properly cited.
Chinese apparel industry; entrepreneurs; ownership transition; structural transformation