1970s
1978
Esquel Group was founded by Yang Yuan Loong (Y.L.).
First office opened in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.
Esquel acquired Eastern Garments in Penang, Malaysia. It was closed on June 12, 2020.
Esquel acquired Textile Industries Limited in Mauritius. It was renamed Esquel (Mauritius) Ltd. in April 2019, and subsequently closed on November 30, 2020.
Esquel signed the Compensation Trade Agreement with Wuxi Guangming Garment Factory, the first agreement of its kind in China-US apparel export trade.
1979
Esquel established its first US representative office in New York.
In June, Esquel made its first shipment of 190,000 dozen garments to the US, one of the earliest China-US trades since China’s economic reform and Open Door Policy.
1980s
1980
Esquel established its first U.K. representative office.
1982
Esquel established Eastern Garment in Kelantan, Malaysia. It was closed on June 12, 2020.
1983
Esquel became a shareholder of Polytex Garments Limited in Sri Lanka in 1983. Polytex Garments Limited was wholly owned by Esquel starting from end of March 2018 and was renamed Esquel Sri Lanka Ltd. (ESL) in April 2019. ESL officially terminated its operations in July 2022 due to the challenging business conditions.
1984
Esquel created the PYE concept and established the first PYE boutique in Hong Kong.
1988
Esquel formed a joint venture, Golden Field United Textiles Limited, in Gaoming, Foshan. It became fully owned by Esquel in 1996 and was renamed Guangdong Esquel Textiles Limited in 2000.
1990s
1992
Polytex set up a garment factory in Kegalle, Sri Lanka.
1993
Ningbo Esquel Apparel Company Limited commenced operation.
1994
Changzhou Esquel Garment Company Limited and Changzhou Esquel Knitting Apparel Company Limited commenced operation.
1995
Marjorie Yang was appointed Chairman of the Esquel Group.
Phase 1 of a spinning mill in Turpan, Xinjiang was set up, with 30,000 spindles.
1996
Eastern Knitters was relocated from Penang, Malaysia to Gaoming, China, and was renamed Golden Field Knitters. It later became Phase 1 of Guangdong Esquel Knitting.
1997
Phase 2 of the spinning mill in Turpan, Xinjiang was completed, expanding its capacity to 50,000 spindles.
1998
Esquel set up two additional manufacturing facilities in Yangmei, Gaoming.
Esquel formed a joint venture, Xinjiang White Field Cotton Farming Co. Ltd near Kashgar, Xinjiang, leasing 5,600 acres of cotton farm land for 20 years. Esquel Group completed the divestment of its stake in April, 2020.
Xinjiang Esquel (XJE) was established through Esquel’s acquisition of a state-owned 40,000-spindle cotton yarn spinning mill in Urumqi.
Esquel set up Way Yat Industrial, a shirt manufacturing factory in Hong Kong. The factory ceased operation in 2011.
2000s
2000
Group headquarters moved to Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
Esquel established the Group Research and Development Center in Gaoming, completing its Vertically Integrated Supply Chain.
Esquel launched a new corporate identity, a new logo, and Creativity 2000, an internal campaign to promote Esquel’s eCulture.
2001
Esquel Garment Manufacturing (Vietnam) Company Limited commenced operation.
Esquel’s inaugural Sustainable Development Conference was held.
2003
The Esquel-Y.L. Yang Education Foundation was established.
Akesu Esquel Agricultural Development Company Limited in Xinjiang was set up.
2004
The ginning mill, Akesu Esquel Cotton Industrial Company Limited, commenced operations.
2006
Phase 2 of Guangdong Esquel Weaving commenced operation.
2007
Esquel launched a pilot project, together with Standard Chartered Bank, to provide micro-financing to farmers in Xinjiang.
2008
John Cheh was appointed CEO of the Group. He retired in December 2020.
2009
Changji Esquel Textile Company Limited commenced operation.
Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton "Esquel 1" received the prestigious Xinhai 33 accreditation.
The highest possible woven yarn count, 330s/3, was introduced.

2010s

2010s
2010
Esquel acquired Asia Garment Manufacture (Vietnam) Co. Limited in Dong Nai Province, Vietnam. It was renamed Esquel Garment Manufacturing Vietnam – Dongnai Company Limited in 2020.
2011
Eastern Garment factory in Malaysia reopened. It was closed on June 12, 2020.
Esquel acquired Guilin Yinhai Textiles Group.
2012
Fenghua Esquel Garment Company Limited commenced operation. It was closed on April 30, 2020.
Taizhou Esquel Garment Company Limited commenced operation.
Guilin Esquel Textiles Company Limited commenced operation.
Esquel announced Integral project in Guilin, the Sustainable Development Garden.
Celebrated the opening of a new unit at the Koggala factory in Sri Lanka.
Esquel expanded its Hong Kong office at Eastern Central Plaza.
PYE New Concept Store opened at Pacific Place, Hong Kong.
Esquel produced the finest cotton yarn in the world, with yarn counts up to 700.
The wastewater treatment plant at Guangdong Esquel upgraded its capacity to 5,000 tons per day, becoming one of the largest wastewater treatment plants in China’s textile industry and showcasing our commitment to minimize our environmental footprint.
2013
The Esquel Sustainability Council was established.
Esquel became the first supplier in the textile and apparel sector to be accredited by the Fair Labor Association. The membership ended in 2020.
The 2013 Esquel Sustainability Symposium was held, laying the groundwork for the Integral Conversation conferences.
2014
Esquel Garment Manufacturing Vietnam - Hoa Binh Company Limited commenced operation.
PYE opened a new store in Central, Hong Kong.
The first Integral Conversation was held in Guilin.
Esquel announced a new vision statement: Making a Difference.
Esquel set up the Xinjiang Research and Development Centre.
2015
Esquel celebrated the 50th anniversary of Eastern Garment Manufacturing.
Esquel completed the world’s first genome sequencing project for Sea Island cotton in collaboration with the Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese National Human Genome Center in Shanghai, and Nanjing Agricultural University.
Esquel published its first Group Sustainability Report.
Vietnam Fabric Mills (EGV) commenced operation, supplying fabric to Esquel’s factories in Vietnam.
Esquel and the Open University of China jointly launched the 2.5-year diploma programs. Esquel fully sponsors the workers’ tuition fee upon course completion.
2016
Yuan Long #5, entitled Xinhai #50, was examined and approved as a new Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton species by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Esquel Xinjiang celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Launch of DETERMINANT, Esquel’s second retail brand.
2017
A highly automated production facility at the Changji Esquel Textile Company Limited commenced operation, with 30,000 spindles.
Yuan Long #10, the first co-bred Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton variety with Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, was named as Xinhai #55 by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
2018
Lingui Esquel Textiles Company Limited commenced construction on June 6. It was completed and commenced operation in May 2021.
Xinhai #63 received accreditation as an ELS cotton species by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Specialty Spinning Mill at Integral commenced operation in September.
2019
Yuan Loong 17, Esquel’s new self-bred Sea Island cotton (commercially known as Extra-Long-Staple (ELS)), was authorized and publicized by the 10th Main Crop Variety Assessment Committee of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Integral’s garment factory commenced operation. Guilin Esquel Textiles Co., Ltd. relocated to Integral and commenced production.
DETERMINANT opened the 3rd store at Metropolitan Plaza in Guangzhou.
Esquel Group is honored to be one of the four leading corporations (with Alibaba Group, Yili Group and China Three Gorges Corporation) committed to the Initiative for Sustainable Development Actions from Businesses.
Guangdong Esquel was honored with National Technological Innovation Demonstration Enterprise and Intelligent Manufacturing Benchmarking Enterprise

2020s

2020s
2020
Esquel established a joint lab with ShanghaiTech University to seek innovative solutions leveraging technology and multidisciplinary expertise within the university to help Esquel achieve the vision of Making a Difference.
DETERMINANT launched a new online store, shipping to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.
Facing a global mask shortage due to COVID-19, Esquel developed and launched in under two weeks a reusable cotton mask that can be washed up to 30 times. Community donations and internal distribution of reusable masks started as early as mid-February. In 2020, over 42 million reusable masks were shipped worldwide to both public and private sectors, potentially displacing the need for up to 1.3 billion single-use masks.
The Innovation Centre, Office Blocks and Visitor Centre at Integral commenced operation. Together with manufacturing facilities, this marked the completion of Integral’s Phase I development.
Silk Pavilion II by Neri Oxman from the Mediated Matter Group at the MIT Media Lab was unveiled at the Learning Center at Integral.
Esquel won the Internal Innovation Award at Corporate Startup Stars Awards 2020.
2020 Integral Conversation “Transform and Thrive”: Exploring the Roadmap for a Greener Economy was held online.
The brand “qonvolv” was established to offer intelligent industrial solutions to the market players within apparel and textile industry.
Esquel signed the CEO Statement of Support for the Women’s Empower Principles (WEP).
2021
Edgar Tung was appointed Chief Operation Officer. He was then promoted to CEO, effective from November 15, 2021.
DETERMINANT launched new concept store in Lingnan Tiandi, Foshan.
Guangdong Equel Textiles signed the first expedited APA in Guangdong Province.
Esquel was one of the first major global textile and apparel manufacturers to adopt Serai’s independent network-based traceability solution.
A new showroom was established in Turkey for Middle Eastern and European market expansion.
Esquel Vietnam won accolades at the Vietnam National Quality Awards 2020.
Integral named “Popular Choice Winner” under Architizer A+ Awards”.
CJE honored by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as National Specialization, Fine Management and Innovation "Little Giant” Enterprise.
Esquel was one of the five pioneer corporations joining the Cotton China Sustainable Development Program (CCSD).
DETERMINANT launched new FC Barcelona licensed collection.
DETERMINANT opened new stores in Foshan, Zhengzhou, Shenzhen, Qingdao and Shanghai.
PYE opened new stores in Shenzhen and Xiamen.
Guangdong Esquel was awarded 2021 Foshan Digital Intelligent Factory. It was also included in the Case Collections of Intelligent Manufacturing Benchmarking Enterprise.
qonvolv unveiled its first showroom, located on the sixth floor of Engineering Excellence in Gaoming, Foshan, taking up about 500m2 of floor space.
2021 Integral Conversation, “Emerging from a Time of Uncertainty” was again held virtually. Esquel announced the Net Zero Pledge: achieve net zero greenhouse emissions in 2050 and cut emissions in half by 2035.
Global Mask Outreach continued, about 4.34 million DET masks had reached Cambodia, Nepal and Republic of Congo etc.
Our Waterless Dyeing Technology was recognized by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC. It saves 95% of water conventionally used in the dyeing process and consumes 62% less water across all our production processes.
2022
Esquel and Kerry Logistics signed a strategic collaboration agreement for the Shangliang Smart Logistics Park Project in Gaoming, with the warehouse covering over 100,000 square meters with a total investment of about RMB 350 million
Esquel and Everbright Environment signed a strategic collaboration agreement, welcoming exciting possibilities in environmental technology.
qonvolv unveiled showrooms in Changzhou and Vietnam.
Esquel has donated about 5 million DET30™ masks around the world since early 2020, potentially displacing nearly 180 million of single-use masks.
Esquel secured first Green Loan of USD88 million from Bank of China (Hong Kong) to finance or refinance capital expenditures on eligible sustainable projects.
Esquel-Y.L. Yang Education Foundation was recognized with 5A accreditation status by the Bureau of Civil Affairs in China.
Esquel received the Best Managed Companies Award 2022 (China).
2022 Integral Conversation, alongside Integral’s Grand Opening Ceremony, was successfully held. It was also the first time for Esquel to host the event at Integral.
Esquel was ranked 8th in the Hong Kong Corporate Innovation Index 2022, recognizing the achievement in corporate innovation by the Asia-Pacific Institute of Business, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
PYE launched new stores in Fuzhou, Haikou, Chengdu, Nanchang, Nanning and Xiamen.
PYE announced its special crossover collection with Chinese phenomenal sci-fi series The Three-Body Problem, and launched pop-up stores in Shenzhen and Shanghai.
Nicholas Tse has become DETERMINANT‘s brand ambassador. DETERMINANT also expanded its footprint by launching new stores in Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Qingdao and Dongguan.
2023
Esquel won the FutureCFO Excellence Award 2023.
Kerry-Esquel Logistics laid plans to invest RMB 370 million for the Kerry-Esquel Logistic Center building with a total area of 85,000 square meters, located in Shangliang, Gaoming, during its first board meeting. In November, its groundbreaking ceremony was successfully held, paving the way for a sustainable and intelligent supply chain ecosystem. The project is expected to commence operations in the first half of 2025.
Integral became the first project in Guilin to be awarded the LEED O+M: Existing Buildings Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
Esquel Group and Jiangsu Hongdou Industrial Co.,Ltd. laid out a 5-year collaboration blueprint on comfortable, high-tech and functional fashion.
Integral achieved the Two-star Certificate of Green Building Label in China.
Launch Ceremony of Y.L. Yang Foundation’s 20th Anniversary Activities was held successfully to inspire dreams for children.
Esquel Innovation & Incubation Village in Xinjiang held its first open day, showcasing its cutting-edge technology projects in agricultural technology, textiles and fashion, and new energy development.
Esquel Group honored with the 2023 Ram Charan Management Practice Award – Corporate ESG Practice Award.
The 10th Integral Conversation was held at Integral.
Integral received two honors from the Green Building Awards 2023 - the “Grand Award” and the “Special Citation on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals” in New Buildings Category. The award is co-organized by the Hong Kong Green Building Council and the Professional Green Building Council.
Integral hosted the DETERMINANT x Meituan Road Safety Promotional Campaign, the China-ASEAN Mayors’ Forum, and the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) SDG Innovation Accelerator for Young Professionals Year-end Ceremony, forging urban progress and sustainable development.
PYE launched new stores in Chengdu, Chongqing, Xinjiang, Changchun and Shanghai.
DETERMINANT launched new stores in Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Chengdu.