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Altai Luxury Cashmere Coats From Shanghai Designer Now in Bucktown

By Alisa Hauser | February 27, 2015 10:52am | Updated on March 2, 2015 9:30am
 Clair Barnes, co-owner of Altai Coats.
Clair Barnes, co-owner of Altai Coats.
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DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

BUCKTOWN —   The same luxury wool and cashmere coats that could cost over $1,000 if bought at a department store are on sale in Bucktown for half that cost, made by a private label wholesaler whose daughter and son-in-law have brought his collection from Shanhgai to Damen Avenue.

Altai Coats, Inc. opened in January at 1917 N. Damen Ave., in the former Edith Hart boutique.

The shop is named for the Altai mountain range that connects China, Russia and Mongolia, where Clair Barnes's father, Jun Feng Yang, is from.

"Her father started working in a textile factory at 19 and worked his way up to owning the factory," said Justin Barnes of Yang, his father-in-law.

A private label wholesaler since 1995, Yang's coats and scarves, which use 100-percent Australian wool, are made from the finest quality fabrics available, averaging around 70 grade wool, Justin Barnes said.

The women's coats at Altai mostly cost between $360 and $600. Yang's coats are sold under dozens of department store labels around the world, costing as much as $1,000, Justin Barnes said.

"We have not gotten the word out too much that we are open but from the shoppers that have come in, fuscia, yellow and blue are popular coat color choices this season," he said.

Clair and Justin Barnes met in China when Justin Barnes was working as an art teacher and Clair Barnes was a sales manager for her father's company, Shanghai Longtu.

This fall, the couple relocated to Chicago, where Justin Barnes is from. They selected Bucktown because of the many independently-owned shops along Damen Avenue, Justin Barnes said.

All winter items in the shop are current 20 percent off, with an additional 10 percent off possible in the spring, when Altai will debut lighter cashmere coats and wraps.

Altai Coats, 1917 N. Damen Ave. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday- Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Ph: 312-995-2274.