On January 5th, the topic of “you may not get real down clothing below this price” hit the top of the Baidu and Weibo trending lists. In a normal market environment, it’s difficult to guarantee the quality of down clothing priced below 300 yuan (RMB).
According to a report from a Chinese tech media on January 5th, based on the 2024 down raw material price levels released by the China Down Industry Association, the price of standard 90% white duck down (with a down content of 90%) is around 420-550 yuan per kilogram, with goose down costing even more. By estimation, for a standard down jacket with a filling weight of 150 grams and a procurement cost of 500 yuan per kilogram, the cost of down raw material alone is about 75 yuan.
Normally, the proportion of down raw material in the total production cost ranges from 30% to 70%, and with the addition of fabric, labor, taxes, brand premiums, etc., the final price sold to consumers will increase to varying degrees. In a normal market environment, it’s challenging to ensure the quality of down clothing priced below 300 yuan. If the price is too low, businesses may compromise on the quality and content of down to cut corners.
According to a report from the Changjiang Daily, based on the Communist Party of China’s new recommended standard in 2021, a down product must have a down content of over 50% to be considered a down product; otherwise, it cannot be labeled as such.
Tang Jinbo, the chief engineer of the National Textile and Garment Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center (Hubei) at the Wuhan Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute, mentioned that there is an empirical judgment criterion. The filling weight of a short down jacket should be over 130 grams, and for a long down jacket, it should be over 230 grams. Some thinner down vests may not meet these criteria.
Tang Jinbo also pointed out that in terms of cost, duck down is priced around 500-600 yuan per kilogram, while goose down costs at least 1100 yuan per kilogram. For a garment that can be called a down jacket, the cost of the down material alone exceeds a couple of hundred yuan. Therefore, it’s challenging to ensure the quality of down jackets priced at a couple hundred yuan or less.
Tang Jinbo revealed that substandard or poor quality down jackets on the market often use “floss” as a substitute for real down, filling the clothing with it.
Down primarily comes from the fluff of geese and ducks’ abdominal feathers. Due to its unique star-shaped structure, down can form an effective insulation layer, providing better warmth than other natural insulating materials like cotton, wool, and silk.
In contrast, low-quality down jackets are filled with “floss”, a mixture of feather silk and fluff silk. Feather silk is the fallen fibers from feathers, while fluff silk is the fallen fibers from down. While “floss” may appear to be part of down, it can only be considered as “offcuts”, and its insulation performance is poor.
As down jackets are the preferred winter clothing for Chinese people, especially in cold regions in the north, the topic has triggered widespread attention among netizens.
The tech media mentioned that the focus on this topic reflects consumers’ disappointment with product quality and dissatisfaction with price imbalances. In recent years, the prices of down jackets have been steadily increasing, with a well-known Chinese brand selling down jackets for nearly 7000 yuan. Some consumers said, “While the quality is indeed good, the price is just too high.”
Other netizens expressed views like, “Are there no cheaper down jackets?” and “Even if I buy the best down myself, a pound of it is not too expensive, right?”
A netizen named “geach” shared, “I bought down jackets for my family for a few tens of yuan, knowing they are fake, but as long as they keep warm. It’s better to buy inexpensive products. I may not definitely get real down even if I spend 1000-2000 yuan. I’d rather buy cheap ones and discard them after a year without regret.”
Another netizen, “My Big Brother uI,” emphasized the importance of transparent pricing, stating, “The most crucial thing is that pricing must not deceive consumers. You can directly say it’s silk, but you can’t sell silk as down at the price of down.”
Finally, a netizen named “Born to be a Supporting Role” expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of regulatory action, saying, “What should be regulated by the state is now left for the people to discern. If a piece of clothing is labeled as a down jacket, even if it costs one hundred yuan, it must be down. If it’s not, the seller should be held accountable.”