Humans have had a need for sun protection since ancient times. The modern sunshade fabric industry began with specialized production in the 1990s. In May 1991, China's first vertical blind processing plant appeared, successfully developing a light-adjusting vertical blind system and vertical blind fabric, considered the origin of China's sunshade fabric industry. Before 2000, some domestic companies began to achieve large-scale production of sunshade window covering fabrics.
Around 2010, the industry began to develop functional sun-protective clothing categories and made breakthroughs in related raw yarn UV-resistant technology. During the same period, the sun-protective fabric project improved the quality of domestically produced products through equipment imports and technological upgrades.
In recent years, the industry has seen trends such as specializing in sun-protective fabrics, improving yarn functionality, and developing multifunctional fabrics. For example, some technologies increase the concentration of functional materials in yarns, significantly improving the UPF value. Some fabrics possess UV resistance, are thin yet opaque, and provide heat protection. Other fabrics combine cooling and sun protection functions, or possess the dual functions of "photochromic + UV shielding." The industry is showing a trend of development from single sunshade function to high performance and multi-functionality.
