(Yicai Global) Feb. 26 -- Chinese brand Orolay's down jacket, at one-tenth the price of Canada Goose, Moncler and other top labels, has become a dark horse hit in this winter's unusually frigid weather in the US. 

The brand's owners are Qiu Jiawei and his unidentified wife from the Chinese city of Jiaxing, just outside Shanghai.

The Orolay women's padded down jacket, made in China and priced at USD139.99, has been the sales champion among Amazon women's down jackets and coats for two straight years, and thus is dubbed the 'Amazon coat.'

Brand owner Jiaxing Zichi Trading formed in 2012. It is a small company with registered capital of only CNY500,000 (USD74,668), corporate registration data show.

Owner Qiu Jiawei found through US market research that many down jackets in North America are positioned as outdoor clothes devoid of fashion appeal, so they specially add fashion elements to their jackets with an eye to quality and warmth, Qiu said in an interview with local media Qianjiang Evening News.

Qiu's wife -- whose name Yicai Global has been unable to discover -- shoulders all Orolay's main design work, he said. The firm has set up a design center that has developed styles for the North American market since 2016.

"We go to the US almost every month, first doing market research, then designing samples, and scheduling production based on the pre-sales of samples," Qiu explained. He will go to New York again at the beginning of next month to talk to local brands, outlet stores and sales companies about setting up offline sales channels.

It had been unimaginable for Qiu to become the national sales champion of Amazon's full category (including more than 150 million products) and even the bestseller in the comprehensive category of clothing, shoes and jewelry. "We sold some 400 pieces of clothes in total in the first year and now our down jackets sell more than socks on its [Amazon's] website."

The success of Oralay, in Qiu's view, benefits from the awareness of independent brands. Jiaxing city has gathered a lot of down jacket and luggage companies, many of them original equipment manufacturers for other brands. Qiu registered his own brand from the outset and his firm designs, makes and sells all their clothes.

The freezing blast that has swept the US this winter has kept Oralay stocks in short supply since December. Oralay's production companies have prepared to meet market demand and ordered fabric sufficient for more than 100,000 down jackets since the start of the year, Qiu said.

As regards the China market, the firm is still focused on research, development and design, and has no plans to expand domestically, Qiu stated.

Editor: Ben Armour