Clothing maker plans to go upmarket and online to compete with well-known imported brands, become industry leader

By partnering with French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier, China's largest down clothing company, Bosideng International Holdings, is trying to boost sales of its high-end offerings as part of its strategy to compete with global upmarket players like Canada Goose and Moncler.

The announcement of the partnership in November was marked by a star-studded fashion show in Shanghai. The show featured some of China's A-list celebrities and fashion bloggers wearing the bomber jackets and down capes created exclusively for the Chinese brand by the 67-year-old designer, who is known for creating Madonna's controversial conical bra and as the former creative director of luxury house Hermes.

To keep up the momentum, weeklong ads on Sina Weibo followed, with slogans like "when the naughty boy of fashion meets Bosideng".

"We plan to first consolidate our hold on the Chinese market over the next three years, enter the international market in four to six years, and then become a global industry leader within the decade," said Mei Dong, CEO of the Shanghai-based company, at a recent news conference to announce its strategy.

Having started as a clothing manufacturer in the 1970s in Changshu, East China's Jiangsu province, the now Hong Kong-listed company repositioned itself as a dedicated down jacked maker in 2017 after years of unsuccessful attempts to expand into menswear.

The move was inspired by the more generous budgets Chinese consumers now have for winter coats due to the increasing efforts of foreign brands, who have transformed the traditionally functional attire into a fashion accessory like bags for women or watches for men.

"Down jackets used to be an immensely seasonal and regional product in China. They were such a marginalized category in department stores that they shared space with swimwear when it was out of season," said Ye Qizheng, co-founder of DFO Showroom, one of the largest fashion showrooms in China connecting buyers and designers.

"But today, down clothing brands enjoy prime locations in the top shopping malls in Shanghai and Beijing. What's more, the most surprising thing is that in Shenzhen, a southern city with an average temperature of 23 C, Moncler has a store," said Ye.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the number of down jackets sold in China has fallen for three consecutive years since 2016. In 2018, 190 million jackets were sold in the country, down by 32.8 percent from the previous year and the lowest level in the past five years.

However, the average retail price has been increasing steadily, up by 20.8 percent in 2018. As a result, the main price range has grown from 600 yuan ($85) to 800 yuan to more than 1,000 yuan.