Is the windbreaker you bought a genuine one? Many multi-brand windbreakers only meet the standards for jackets and down clothing.
This winter, windbreakers have become extremely popular in China.
Following the success of sun protection clothing in the previous year, windbreakers have once again become a trend this winter. According to statistics from Cicada Cube, the sales of windbreakers on the Douyin platform reached 1.3 billion yuan from January to July this year, a year-on-year increase of 336.57%.
Originally designed for outdoor scenarios, windbreakers are favored by consumers for their three-in-one functionality. The windproof, breathable, and warm characteristics of windbreakers meet the all-weather and multi-scenario needs of consumers, combining practicality and fashion. Moreover, the combination of “windbreaker + small-frame glasses” is referred to as the “best aesthetic medicine for contemporary men” and is popular in social circles.
However, the popularity and trendiness of windbreakers have led many clothing brands to follow suit and introduce windbreaker products, resulting in varying product quality. Consumer Reports noticed that some brands sell windbreakers that only meet the standards for jacket clothing. Instead of being true “windbreakers,” they are more like ordinary jackets with the label of “windbreaker.”
While the sales are hot, complaints related to windbreakers are also not few. On November 29, under the keyword “windbreaker,” Consumer Reports searched the Black Cat Complaints Platform and found a total of 2095 complaints, including issues like “mismatched goods,” “false advertising,” and “damage.” Many consumers complained that the windbreaker products they purchased turned out to be ordinary jacket styles.
Some consumers complained that products labeled “windbreaker” on e-commerce platforms, confirmed as windbreakers by customer service during the purchase, were found to adhere to the standards for jacket clothing upon receiving the goods.
Similar situations were encountered by other consumers who confirmed with customer service that the purchased product was a windbreaker but, upon receiving the goods, found that the product’s standards did not correspond to the national standards for windbreakers. When inquiring again with store customer service, they were told that the product was “not a windbreaker but a windbreaker style.”
Consumer Reports found that as of November 24, the situations described by consumers persist in various windbreaker products. Taking the brand Duck Duck as an example, a product named “Duck Duck Couple Windbreaker 2023 Autumn and Winter New Outdoor Warm Men and Women Fashion Jacket W” is sold on the Duck Duck Taobao official flagship store. The product’s name includes the word “windbreaker,” but the product information provided by customer service indicates that the product adheres to the standard GB/T 14272-2021, which is the standard for “down clothing.” Consumer Reports confirmed that the requirements of the GB/T 14272-2021 standard do not include the functional requirements of waterproof and breathable features.
Similarly, another product sold by Duck Duck Taobao official flagship store, named “Duck Duck Down Jacket Women’s Outdoor Windbreaker 2023 Winter One Garment Three Wears Warm Coat W,” includes the word “windbreaker” in the product name. However, the product information provided by customer service shows that the product adheres to the standards “Outerwear FZ/T 81007-2022” and “Inner FZ/T 73020-2019,” which are the standards for “single and jacket clothing” and “knitted leisure clothing,” respectively.
Other brands also face similar situations. The product sold by the Yalu Taobao official flagship store, named “【Urban Outdoor】 Yalu Three-in-One Down Jacket Men’s Winter Detachable Lining Waterproof Windbreaker Men,” is promoted on the product details page as a “windbreaker.” The page mentions a “detachable hood windbreaker jacket.” Consumer Reports, inquiring as a consumer, asked the customer service for information on the product’s standards, and the standards provided by customer service are “GB/T 14272-2021” and “GB 18401-2010,” which are the standards for “down clothing” and “national basic technical specifications for textile products,” respectively.
In addition, the product sold by the Guiren Niao Taobao apparel flagship store, named “Guiren Niao Three-in-One Windbreaker Men’s Jacket Men’s Autumn and Winter Men’s Outdoor Waterproof Windproof Jacket Women,” is labeled as a “windbreaker” on the product page. However, the product information provided by customer service shows that the product adheres to the standards “Outerwear FZ/T 81007-2022” and “Inner FZ/T 73020-2019,” which are the standards for “single and jacket clothing” and “knitted leisure clothing,” respectively.
Windbreakers should not be merely “look-alikes.”
In fact, to regulate the quality of windbreaker products, on November 1, 2016, GB/T 32614-2016 “Outdoor Sportswear Windbreaker” was officially implemented, filling the previous gap in the absence of specific national standards for windbreaker products. In addition, the new version GB/T 32614-2023 “Outdoor Sportswear Windbreaker” standard will be implemented starting from April 1, 2024. However, this national standard is not mandatory.
So, can products that do not comply with the national windbreaker standard be considered windbreakers?
A textile testing industry professional told Consumer Reports that GB/T 32614-2016 “Outdoor Sportswear Windbreaker” is not a mandatory standard, and some outdoor sportswear brands may implement their own corporate standards. In addition to products that comply with the above national standards being recognized as windbreakers, products that meet the requirements of parameters such as moisture resistance, static water pressure, and permeability in the standards they adhere to can also be considered windbreakers. If the standards the products adhere to, such as FZ/T 81007-2022 “Single and Jacket Clothing,” do not include requirements for parameters reflecting the windproof and breathable performance of windbreakers, they should not be considered strictly as windbreaker products.
GB/T 32614-2016 “Outdoor Sportswear Windbreaker” falls under the jurisdiction of the National Sports Goods Standardization Technical Committee Sports Clothing Subcommittee. In a video interpreting the relevant standards, it was mentioned, “It is recommended to use national standards for windbreakers rather than standards like FZ/T 81007 ‘Single and Jacket Clothing’ and FZ/T 73020 ‘Leisure Clothing’ because the indicators set in these standards do not truly reflect the intrinsic quality of windbreakers, and it is also difficult for companies to carry out reasonable quality control.”
Brands promoting ordinary jackets as “windbreakers” or engaging in false advertising may be suspected of violating consumer protection laws. According to the Consumer Rights Protection Law, operators providing information about the quality, performance, use, and effective period of goods or services to consumers should do so truthfully, comprehensively, and without false or misleading advertising.
In fact, some brands have been punished by relevant authorities for selling products labeled as “windbreakers” with false advertising.
Public information from Tianyancha shows that Zhejiang Semir Apparel Co., Ltd.’s wholly-owned subsidiary Zhejiang Semir E-commerce Co., Ltd. was fined by the Market Supervision and Administration Bureau of Yuhang District, Hangzhou City in
May of this year for “containing false content in advertisements.” The specific content of the penalty mentioned: “The party sold ‘outerwear’ with the title ‘windbreaker’ in the Tmall store ‘Semir official flagship store’ from April 12, 2022, to August 31, 2022. The actual product’s execution standard is Q/ZSM108-2021, which is the enterprise standard for woven clothing and cannot provide material proof of advertising the national standard for windbreakers.”
Shan Xuele, the chief engineer of the National Knitted Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, also said in an interview with the media that the product standards explicitly stated on the hangtag are the company’s commitment to consumers. If a company wants to promote the functionality of a certain product, it should have corresponding testing and indicator assessments, and the product standards should be clearly stated on the hangtag.
In response to the above-mentioned product situations, Consumer Reports sent interview letters to Guiren Niao, Duck Duck, and Yalu but has not received a response as of the time of writing. It is worth noting that on December 6, Consumer Reports checked the above-mentioned product page of Duck Duck’s Taobao official flagship store again and found that the word “windbreaker” in the product name had been removed.