Puffer coats from foreign brands imported by state-authorized smugglers have become very popular with affluent North Korean customers at marketplaces in Hyesan, Ryanggang province, Daily NK has learned.
A source in the province told Daily NK recently that various kinds of winter coats are being displayed at marketplaces as the weather turns colder. Products from South Korea, Japan and the U.S. imported through China are selling for steep prices — upwards of 3,000 Chinese yuan, around $415.
According to the source, puffer coats supposedly from foreign brands such as Fila, Descente and Polo are currently being sold at marketplaces in Hyesan. All these coats are brought in through state-organized smuggling.
In most cases, these coats are knock-offs with fake labels. In China, they tend to be sold for cheaper than the real thing. But smugglers and wholesalers pass them off as genuine and sell them to retail customers at high prices.
Status symbols for the wealthy
These imitation foreign puffer coats are being snapped up by wealthy consumers for as high as 3,000 yuan at Hyesan marketplaces. That is enough money to buy 750 kilograms of rice in North Korea, an exorbitant price given the living standard of ordinary people.
But the donju, or nouveau riche, who occupy the top rung of North Korea’s affluent class, reportedly contact traders in China directly and pay more than 10,000 yuan, around $1,380, to order authentic foreign puffer coats.
North Korea’s wealthiest individuals are seeking out foreign name brands out of the apparent desire to show off their economic status.
In the past, people bought clothing because they liked the design or materials. But over the last few years, well-off people have started paying more attention to labels, and more people are choosing to buy name-brand items. One of the main reasons people prefer clothing with these famous labels is because they’re supposedly worn by wealthy people in other countries, the source said.
The time has passed when wealthy people would dress poor to avoid attention from authorities. Nowadays, people try to indicate their wealth through their clothing without worrying so much about surveillance, the source added.
Domestic imitations emerge
Given the gradual rise in demand for clothing from foreign brands, clothing producers in North Korea are slapping foreign labels on their own imitations.
The labels and products look the same as the real thing at first glance. It’s hard to distinguish them without looking closely, the source said.
The locally produced imitations sell for 200 to 500 yuan, around $28 to $69, which is much cheaper than the imported imitations. That puts them within the reach of ordinary customers.
Given customers’ preference for utility, North Korean clothing designers make sure their puffer coats allow a variety of uses, including a detachable liner, while imitating the overall design of foreign brands, the source reported.
The reason people prefer winter coats with detachable liners is because, with a single purchase, they get a coat that can be worn combined or apart depending on the temperature, the source said.
