People shop for winter clothes in Chongqing on November 17. (Photo/Luo Bin)

Chongqing - Compared to down jackets that now can cost up to thousands of yuan, Shu Zi took apart two old down jackets, reused the down, and spent only 400 yuan ($55.19) to make a brand-new long down jacket.

"I took apart old down jackets and retrieved 250g of down, then bought an additional 50g of 90 percent white duck down, bringing the total to 300g of filling. When I got it, I was amazed. It's a very thick and high-quality long down jacket. With the dramatic temperature drop in Shanghai in the recent two weeks, I can't wait to wear it—it’s like being wrapped in a quilt, so warm," said Shu Zi, adding that this is a super cost-effective way to get a down jacket, according to a report by Shanghai Morning Post on Friday.

More and more young people, like Shu Zi, are choosing to upcycle their old down jackets.

In many people's minds, a major drawback of upcycling down jackets is that the styles are often not very fashionable. "We're always looking for trendier and more stylish designs each year, and we display them in the store for customers to choose from. In the past, most of our customers were local aunties and loyal regulars, but now, more and more young people are coming in," the owner of a down jacket upcycling shop in Shanghai, surnamed Lin, said to Shanghai Morning Post.

As young people become more rational in their consumption, many have started bringing in their old down jackets with patches to upcycle. "Since it's tailored to their size, the result is quite good," said Lin.

Meanwhile, online down jacket upcycling has also become a popular new trend among young people. Unlike in-store services, online down jacket upcycling typically involves selecting a style online and sending in the old down jackets. The waiting time has been extended from one week to about two weeks for the process to be completed. While it's not tailored to the individual, there is a wider range of style options available, the newspaper reported.

"I sent in two old down jackets and paid 400 yuan, and got back a brand-new down jacket!" said a Shanghai resident, surnamed Jia, who had his two old down jackets turned into a super thick one before a trip to Northeast China, where winter temperatures can drop to several dozen degrees below zero.

"With temperatures below minus 20 degrees, I needed a really thick, windproof down jacket. When I went to the mall, the extreme cold-series jackets were priced at two to three thousand yuan, which was too expensive. Compared to that, upcycling a down jacket is much more cost-effective!"Jia told the Shanghai Morning Post.