Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has signed exclusive partnerships with more than 20 apparel brands including Zara and Timberland, the Chinese e-commerce giant said on Thursday, the latest step to woo big international brands as it competes with rivals such as JD.com Inc. Alibaba said its fast-growing online marketplace Tmall.com will become the only third-party online sales platform for the apparel brands in China. In China, a market notorious for the proliferation of fake and knock-off products, bagging international names can boost credibility and signal implicit trust.