(Yicai) Nov. 22 -- Skypeople’s down jackets are not inferior to world-famous brands such as Canada Goose and Moncler in terms of workmanship, fabric and padding, the Chinese garment maker said in response to a social media storm over the price.

“China-made down jackets are selling for over CNY7,000 (USD986) each” recently became a trending topic on microblogging site Weibo and has attracted more than 200 million views.

“Good down jackets need to be filled with enough duck plumage and thus will not be cheap,” said Skypeople, which charges up to CNY7,200 for a feather-stuffed trench coat, the equivalent of a month’s salary for the ordinary layman.

“Our jackets are worth it. It costs a lot to make good products. Why can China-made products not sell for over CNY7,000?” said an employee at the company, which was formed last year by edtech startup Yuanfudao.

China-made down jackets are becoming more and more expensive. Bosideng International Holdings was selling its down jacket collection for CNY11,800 (USD1,662) a piece in 2019. And NetEase’s e-retail arm Yanxuan also came under fire recently for retailing its padded jackets for between CNY999 and CNY1,399 each.

It costs more than CNY900 to make a down jacket that retails for over CNY1,000 as it takes the feathers of 12 geese to make one jacket, Yanxuan said.

Down jackets are no longer just for keeping out the cold thanks to fashion trends, National Business Daily reported, citing an industry insider. Down jackets are more expensive this year mainly because of higher raw materials costs, so retailers have no choice. The price of down jackets will likely continue to rise as the peak selling season is approaching, he added.

Editor: Kim Taylor