The golden age of the city's down jacket industry can be traced back to 1989.

In May of that year, Xiong Guobei, a designer at the Gongqingcheng Down Factory, was asked to design and make down jackets for then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and his entourage to be presented to them as national gifts during their historic visit to China.

The entire factory was thrilled by the opportunity. "To present the down jackets produced by us as national gifts to a foreign leader was a source of great pride and excitement for everyone," he said.

While he was extremely happy, Xiong said he felt under immense pressure.

The problem was that he could only estimate the visitors' measurements. "Their chest and arms are often about two centimeters wider and longer than ours, so when we were designing the clothes, we added two centimeters to the sleeve length," Xiong said.

He eventually designed a long down jacket for Gorbachev with a raincoat-style large lapel. "The style was dignified and chic, rich in Chinese national characteristics, and also adapted to European fashion trends," he said.

On May 15 of that year, 32 sets of Yaya down jackets were presented to Gorbachev, his wife, and their entourage.

"I heard that our guests were satisfied, and I was very happy and proud," said Xiong, who worked at the factory until he retired.

Ups and downs

In 1983, the Yaya brand was registered with the National Industrial and Commercial Bureau. For a long time, its quality standards were the industry bench mark in China, and Yaya jackets were popular both at home and overseas.

At its peak, Yaya had captured one-third of China's down jacket market.

"Yaya was all the rage from the 1980s to the late 1990s. Many movie stars and government officers from across the country came to our workshops to buy our clothes," Zheng said.

But the factory couldn't meet the high demand. "At the end of the down jacket production line there were many cardboard boxes for the finished garments," Zheng said. "As soon as we finished one, it was placed in a box. Once a box was filled, it would immediately be taken away by some store manager."

However, by 2002, Yaya's domestic market share was only 2 percent, and the company faced bankruptcy.

Under reforms of the state-owned system it was transformed into a private company in 2011, but Yaya struggled to keep up with the rise of the e-commerce industry and the shift in consumer spending habits. It continued making annual losses, which led to another restructuring in 2020.

"After 2010, e-commerce emerged and it was extremely difficult for physical stores," said Li Yao, the company's CEO. "Yaya didn't catch up, and its market share plummeted significantly."