A down jacket riddled with holes and priced at 1,599 yuan (S$312) has been removed from a leading Chinese online shopping platform after being criticised over the maker’s insulation claims, mainland media reported.
The jacket, produced by Chinese street fashion brand INXX, prompted a public backlash over its design which includes about two dozen heart-shaped holes all over the garment; supposedly to make it “outstanding, eye-catching and show individuality”, the Modern Times reported last Friday (Oct 28).
The item, a new arrival for the season, was removed from the company’s online shop on Taobao, a popular Chinese shopping platform, on the weekend after it triggered heated discussion, mostly mockery. Many found the design to be at odds with its stated purpose of keeping the wearer warm.
Despite half of the jacket’s surface being exposed to the elements, it is supposed to “provide both warmth and fashion,” according to a online description of the product.
The product specification added that it would, “bring a new style in clothing collocation” with a design inspired by the word “heart” in oracle bone script.
But most consumers were not buying the claims let alone the jacket.
“Guess why I would buy a down jacket? To protect myself from the cold,” one user commented.
Some argued that as a common brand targeting the general public, the company should strike a better balance between fashion and usability.
“After all, the ultimate goal of any design is to serve people,” one said.
According to the shop’s record, four of the jackets were sold before it was taken off the online platform.
Similar designs could be found in the 2022 spring/summer series by luxury puffer jacket maker Moncler in partnership with Chinese designer DingYun Zhang.
Some of the garments in the Moncler Genius collaboration also have holes and openings, which Zhang said: “Abstract the human form while simultaneously allowing air to reach certain parts of the body.”
