Fake fur

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Promotion photo from You're My Everything featuring Anne Baxter wearing a fake fur coat Anne Baxter-YOU'RE MY EVERYTHING-Promo.jpg
Promotion photo from You're My Everything featuring Anne Baxter wearing a fake fur coat
Woman wearing a hood lined with fake fur 008 Faux fur - jacket hood hemmed with faux fur.jpg
Woman wearing a hood lined with fake fur
Two women wearing fake furs Women with red and pink fake fur scarves and hats at Inauguration 2013.jpg
Two women wearing fake furs

Fake fur, also called faux fur, is a pile fabric engineered to have the appearance and warmth of fur. Fake fur can be made from a variety of materials, including polyester, nylon, or acrylic.

Contents

First introduced in 1929, fake furs were initially composed of hair from the South American alpaca. The ensuing decades saw substantial improvements in their quality, particularly in the 1940s, thanks to significant advances in textile manufacturing. By the mid-1950s, a transformative development in fake furs occurred when alpaca hair was replaced with acrylic polymers, leading to the creation of the synthetic fur we recognize today. [1]

The promotion of fake furs by animal rights and animal welfare organizations has contributed to its increasing popularity as an animal-friendly alternative to traditional fur clothing. [2]

Uses

A fake fur blanket White fake fur blanket.jpg
A fake fur blanket

Fake fur is used in all applications where real fur would be used, including but not limited to stuffed animals, fashion accessories, pillows, bedding and throws. It is also used for craft projects because it can be sewn on a standard sewing machine. In contrast, real fur is generally thicker and requires hand sewing or an awl. [3] Fake fur is increasingly used in mainstream teen fashion; the stores Abercrombie & Fitch [4] and American Eagle [5] commonly use fake furs in their trapper hats and jackets. Ralph Lauren has promoted the use of fake fur in its collections. [6]

Fake fur is widely used in making fursuits in the furry community.[ citation needed ]

In the Soviet, and now Russian Army, fish fur is a derogatory term for low-quality winter clothing and ushanka hats, from a proverb that "a poor man's fur coat is of fish fur".[ citation needed ]

Comparison to real fur

Sewing Process and Storage

Unlike genuine fur, faux fur is a type of fabric, which makes it relatively easy to sew. The synthetic nature of faux fur eliminates the need for cold storage, which prevents deterioration in real fur. In addition, fake fur is not infested by moths, unlike real fur. [7] However, fake fur should be stored in a garment bag or container away from humidity, heat, and sunlight to maintain its quality. [8]

Due to the controversy of fur garments, technology facilitating the production of fake furs has significantly improved since the early twentieth century. There are new tailoring and dyeing techniques to "disguise" fur and change the traditional image of fur with its conventional image associated with the elite fur-clad woman. [9] Modacrylic is a high-quality 'fur' alternative that gains attraction to its convincing look as an alternative to real fur. Howard Strachman of Strachman Associates, a New York-based agent for faux fur, states that synthetic acrylic knitted fabrics have become a go-to resource for high-end faux fur, much of it coming from Asia.[ citation needed ] New methods of production are still being developed. One technique combines coarse and fine fibers to simulate mink or beaver fur. [10]

Durability and Energy Consumption

Faux fur is perceived as less durable than real fur, and this attribute coupled with its lesser insulating properties forms part of the critique against its use. [11] Also, unlike real fur, fake furs are not able to keep snow from melting and re-freezing on the fiber filaments, which can be dangerous in extremely cold environments. [2]

Fake fur production could consume less energy compared to real fur. A study conducted in 1979 claimed that the energy consumption for the production of one coat made out of fake fur was 35 kilowatt-hours (120,000 British thermal units), compared to 127 kWh (433,000 Btu) for trapped animals and 2,340 kWh (7,970,000 Btu) for animals raised in fur farms. [12] Despite these findings, the study has faced criticism for perceived bias and dated methodology. [13]

Environmental Impact

Fake fur is less biodegradable due to its composition of various synthetic materials. These materials often include blends of acrylic and modacrylic polymers derived from coal, air, water, petroleum, and limestone, which can potentially take between 500 and 1,000 years to break down. [13]

Pricing

Fake fur is significantly less expensive than real fur. The price spectrum for luxury fake fur items spans from as low as $127 to as high as $8,900 in the mass market. In contrast, real fur luxury outerwear begins at a significantly higher price point, starting at $2,300. [14]

Use of actual fur

Some coats labeled as having faux-fur trim were found to use actual fur in a test conducted by the Humane Society of the United States. [15] In the United States, up until 2012, a labeling loophole allowed any piece of clothing that contains less than $150 of fur to be labeled without mentioning that it included fur. [15] This is the equivalent of thirty rabbits, three raccoons, three red foxes, two to five leopards, twenty ring tailed lemurs, three domestic dogs, or one bear. [15]

Use by fashion designers

Fake fur is popular in fashion, and several fashion designers incorporate the material throughout their collections. Hannah Weiland, founder of Shrimps, a London-based fake fur company, says, "I love working with faux fur because it doesn't molt and it feels just as soft. If the faux kind feels as good, why use the real kind?" [16] Designer Stella McCartney also incorporates faux fur throughout her collections with tagged patches reading "Fur Free Fur." [17]

German company Hugo Boss made a public stance against animal fur by pledging to go completely fur-free, taking effect with their 2016 Fall/Winter collection. With the announcement, creative director of sportswear Bernd Keller stated the company's intention to prioritize animal protection and sustainability over convenience. [18]

SpiritHoods is a Los Angeles based apparel company and specializes in faux fur coats. PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) awarded them the Libby Award in 2011, 2012 and 2022 for being a cruelty-free clothing brand.

Fake fur is also used for its versatility in color and shape. Julie de Libran, the former artistic director of Sonia Rykiel, incorporated a combination of both real and fake fur in her collections. De Libran stated that she utilized fake fur for its ability to take on creative colors and forms, giving it a playfulness that natural fur alone could not create. [17]

Prada embraced synthetics in their Fall/Winter 2007 collection. Miuccia Prada, the brand's owner and designer, commented that she was bored with real fur, and as a result, she included fake fur in her collection that year. In addition, Dries Van Noten, Hussein Chalayan, Julien David, Julie de Libran for Sonia Rykiel, Kate Spade, and many others featured fake fur in their fall collections. [17] In addition, Prada, Max Mara and Dries Van Noten have included mohair faux fur in their collections. [19]

The global artificial fur industry is projected to grow at a rate of over 15% by 2027. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Textile</span> Various fiber-based materials

Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the only manufacturing method, and many other methods were later developed to form textile structures based on their intended use. Knitting and non-woven are other popular types of fabric manufacturing. In the contemporary world, textiles satisfy the material needs for versatile applications, from simple daily clothing to bulletproof jackets, spacesuits, and doctor's gowns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parka</span> Fur-lined cold weather overgarment

A parka or anorak is a type of coat with a hood, often lined with fur or faux fur. This kind of garment is a staple of Inuit clothing, traditionally made from caribou or seal skin, for hunting and kayaking in the frigid Arctic. Some Inuit anoraks require regular coating with fish oil to retain their water resistance.

Synthetic fibers or synthetic fibres are fibers made by humans through chemical synthesis, as opposed to natural fibers that are directly derived from living organisms, such as plants or fur from animals. They are the result of extensive research by scientists to replicate naturally occurring animal and plant fibers. In general, synthetic fibers are created by extruding fiber-forming materials through spinnerets, forming a fiber. These are called synthetic or artificial fibers. The word polymer comes from a Greek prefix "poly" which means "many" and suffix "mer" which means "single units"..

A modacrylic is a synthetic copolymer. Modacrylics are soft, strong, resilient and dimensionally stable. They can be easily dyed, show good press and shape retention, and are quick to dry. They have outstanding resistance to chemicals and solvents, are not attacked by moths or mildew, and are nonallergenic. Among their uses are in apparel linings, furlike outerwear, paint-roller covers, scatter rugs, carpets, and work clothing and as hair in wigs.

Burlington, formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, is an American national off-price department store retailer, and a division of Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation with more than 1,000 stores in 40 states and Puerto Rico, with its corporate headquarters located in Burlington Township, New Jersey. In 2007, it was acquired by Bain Capital in a transaction and in 2008, Tom Kingsbury became president and CEO. The company went public again in 2013. Burlington is the third largest off-price retailer after TJX Companies and Ross Stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonia Rykiel</span> French fashion designer and writer

Sonia Rykiel was a French fashion designer and writer. She created the Poor Boy Sweater, which was featured on the cover of French Elle magazine. Her knitwear designs and new fashion techniques led her to be dubbed the "Queen of Knits". The Sonia Rykiel label was founded in 1968, upon the opening of her first store, making clothing, accessories, and fragrances. Rykiel was also a writer, and her first book was published in 1979. In 2012, Rykiel revealed that she was suffering from Parkinson's disease. She died from complications of the disease on 25 August 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acrylic fiber</span> Synthetic fiber made from polymer

Acrylic fibers are synthetic fibers made from a polymer (polyacrylonitrile) with an average molecular weight of ~100,000, about 1900 monomer units. For a fiber to be called "acrylic" in the US, the polymer must contain at least 85% acrylonitrile monomer. Typical comonomers are vinyl acetate or methyl acrylate. DuPont created the first acrylic fibers in 1941 and trademarked them under the name Orlon. It was first developed in the mid-1940s but was not produced in large quantities until the 1950s. Strong and warm, acrylic fiber is often used for sweaters and tracksuits and as linings for boots and gloves, as well as in furnishing fabrics and carpets. It is manufactured as a filament, then cut into short staple lengths similar to wool hairs, and spun into yarn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artificial leather</span> Material that imitates leather

Artificial leather, also called synthetic leather, is a material intended to substitute for leather in upholstery, clothing, footwear, and other uses where a leather-like finish is desired but the actual material is cost prohibitive or unsuitable, or for ethical concerns. Artificial leather is known under many names, including leatherette, imitation leather, faux leather, vegan leather, PU leather (polyurethane), and pleather.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fur clothing</span> Clothing made of furry animal hides

Fur clothing is clothing made from the preserved skins of mammals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing and is thought to have been widely used by people for at least 120,000 years. The term 'fur' is often used to refer to a specific item of clothing such as a coat, wrap, or shawl made from the fur of animals.

Canada Goose is a Canadian holding company of winter clothing manufacturers. The company was founded in 1957 by Sam Tick, under the name Metro Sportswear Ltd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winter clothing</span> Clothes worn in cold weather

Winter clothing are clothes used for protection against the particularly cold weather of winter. Often they have a good water resistance, consist of multiple layers to protect and insulate against low temperatures.

Andrew Marc is an American luxury fashion brand. The company originated as a leather goods label established in 1982. The company is headquartered just south of Times Square in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Noten</span> Dutch conceptual artist

Ted Noten is a Dutch conceptual artist. He is especially known for his Turbo Princess pendant featuring a mouse wearing a small pearl necklace, and his solid acrylic handbags and suitcases containing guns. A broad spectrum of galleries and museum collections all over the world represent his oeuvre. Since 2005, his design company Atelier Ted Noten, or ATN, has extended its jewellery creations towards (interior) design projects, installations and commissions for both private collectors, cultural organisations and art institutions.

Julie de Libran is a French fashion designer. She has worked for leading fashion houses such as Gianfranco Ferré, Gianni Versace, Prada and Louis Vuitton. She specializes in women’s fashion, celebrity and event dressing and made-to-measure. In May 2014 she was named the artistic director of Sonia Rykiel. In June 2019 she launched her own fashion line, Julie de Libran Paris, a women’s made-to-order couture collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Car coat</span> Outer garment for automobilists

A car coat is an outer garment originally made to be worn by automobile drivers and passengers. First designed to provide maximum warmth and coverage, over time it became a much shorter garment. Today it describes a coat that typically ends at mid thigh. It is worn by both men and women.

The conservation and restoration of fur objects is the preservation and protection of objects made from or containing fur. These pieces can include personal items like fur clothing or objects of cultural heritage that are housed in museums and collections. When dealing with the latter, a conservator-restorer often handles their care, whereas, for the public, professional furriers can be found in many neighborhoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G-III Apparel Group</span> American clothing company

G-III Apparel Group is an American clothing company which designs, manufactures, and markets women's and men's apparel in the United States and internationally through a portfolio of proprietary and licensed brand names, including Guess?, DKNY, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Andrew Marc, Levi Strauss & Co., Dockers, Harley-Davidson apparel, Vilebrequin, Sonia Rykiel, Karl Lagerfeld, Kenneth Cole and Wilsons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrimps (brand)</span>

Shrimps is a fashion label founded by London-based designer, Hannah Weiland, launched in 2013. Originally launched with one faux fur coat and then centred around faux fur outerwear and accessories, Shrimps is now a full RTW label offering a variety of pieces as well as the faux fur outerwear that made its name. Shrimps became famous for its signature faux fur coats, garnering support from animal rights activists such as PETA, and drawing new attention to faux fur as a fabric in fashion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental impacts of fur farming</span>

Fur farming is the process of breeding animals in captivity for the sake of harvesting their fur to be sold primarily for clothing purposes. Fur is no longer primarily obtained through animal trapping; most fur comes from farms, where animals are raised to be killed for their fur. Fur farming operations provide about 80 percent of overall fur production. Common sources of fur include mink, raccoon, and fox. Up to 30 million mink furs are produced annually in North America and Europe. The production of pelts involves large-scale tanning and disposal of animal carcasses after they are skinned. Fur production reportedly impacts the environment negatively through the release of gases, chemicals and fossil fuels.

Sherpa is a fabric with a pile on one side and flat on the other side.

References

  1. ↑ "How fake fur is made". www.madehow.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  2. 1 2 "Definition from the Textile and Apparel Industries" . Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  3. ↑ "how to sew torn mink coat?". Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  4. ↑ "Abercrombie & Fitch | Fur Fleece Sweater - Betsy". Archived from the original on 2010-10-26. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  5. ↑ "Women's AE Downtown Bomber - American Eagle Outfitters". Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  6. ↑ "Search for faux fur on Ralph Lauren site". Archived from the original on 2012-09-10. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  7. ↑ "Fur Care: Storage is a must". Archived from the original on 2009-07-01. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  8. ↑ "How to Wash & Store Faux fur Blanket ?". Anifurry. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  9. ↑ Emberley, Julia (1997). The Cultural Politics of Fur. New York: Cornell University Press.
  10. ↑ "How fake fur is made - material, manufacture, making, history, used, processing, structure, steps, product". www.madehow.com. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
  11. ↑ Bekleidungsphysiologisches Institut Hohenstein. "Scientists prove nothing beats natural fur". Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Questions and Answers about Fur" (PDF). The Humane Society of the United States. 1998. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2003-03-30. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  13. 1 2 "Should I choose fake fur over real fur" . Retrieved 2010-03-17.
  14. ↑ "Faux and real fur outerwear prices U.S. 2021". Statista. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  15. 1 2 3 Dawn, Karen (2008). Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals (1st ed.). New York City: HarperCollins. p. 110. ISBN   978-0-06-135185-3 . Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  16. ↑ "Faux Real: In the Studio with Hannah Weiland of Shrimps - OPENING CEREMONY". www.openingceremony.us. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  17. 1 2 3 Iredale, Jessica (May 20, 2015). "Faux Fur: Better Than the Real Thing?". WWD.
  18. ↑ Pacelle, Wayne (July 6, 2015). "Hugo Boss Goes Fur-Free". blog.humanesociety.org. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  19. ↑ Szmydke, Nina Jones, Paulina (2015-05-20). "Faux Fur: Better Than the Real Thing?". WWD. Retrieved 2017-11-06.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ↑ "Global Artificial Fur Market 2023-2027". ReportLinker. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
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