Fur Apparel Key Terms

Learn the vocabulary that is essential to your fur apparel company's success

To be in the fur apparel industry, it is absolutely essential that you know the definition of all the types of fur available to buy and sell. For example, learn what mink, chinchilla, sable and rabbit fur are, where they come from, what they look like and how expensive they are. You should also know and be able to recognize fake fur and restyled fur. These terms will help you carry good products and accurately inform your customers.

 

Mink

Mink is a member of the weasel family and has a type of fur with glossy long and short hair. Its colors range in various browns with some white patches.
Try: Fur Commission USA provides an in-depth look at mink fur.

Chinchilla

Chinchilla fur is a very expensive and beautiful fur. It comes from a rodent from Bolivia, Peru and Chile. It has long, thick and soft hair that ranges in colors from dark blue to blue gray.
Try: Visit Canchilla Associates for a detailed description of chinchilla fur and the animals themselves.

Sable

Sable fur is silky, lightweight, a brown and silver color, and very rare, making it very expensive. The more silver it has in it, the more expensive.
Try: The Fur Information Council of America has an excellent dictionary that explains the different types of furs.

Rabbit

Rabbit is a medium length with a variety of colors found in nature. This fur has an affordable price, but it is not very durable.
Try: Sir Charles Furriers provides an explanation and description of rabbit fur.

Fake fur

Known as fake fur or faux fur, this material is made to imitate animal fur. Usually it is made out of polymeric fibers that can be dyed and cut to simulate an animal's fur. In the fur industry it is important to know how to tell the difference between fake fur and real fur.
Try: Treehugger discusses fake fur and how to identify it. It also provides links to several related articles and a downloadable guide to discerning fake fur from real fur.

Restyled fur

Restyled fur, also known as reworked fur is the process in which a fur apparel product is redone to make it into a new style or different product entirely.
Try: Look at FBLG. It illustrates some examples of how fur can be restyled.

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