If you have been observing the trends in fur fashion in recent years, you may already be aware that a number of issues have arisen with regard to the use of real fur in clothes. Regardless of where you stand on the issue–and we are certainly not here to judge anyone’s decision to use or not to use real fur–you should be aware that the fur industry has taken steps to address many of the concerns of the animal rights factions. Fur that is used in clothing is now typically harvested from animals that are raised specifically for their coats, under carefully monitored conditions that ensure the well-beings of the animals. In many parts of the world, the negative practices surrounding the trade fur have largely been eliminated, and you can generally feel free to buy clothes made out of real fur with a clear conscience, just as long as you purchase reputable brands.
In any case, you will want to find out how to determine if what you are buying is real fur or faux fur, and here we have outlined some tips that will help you do that.
First, examine the item carefully with your fingers, paying particular attention to the feel of the fur. Faux fur will generally have a rougher or slightly coarser texture as compared to the silky smoothness of real fur. Keep in mind however that with the huge advancements made in synthetic fabric technology over the years, faux fur has come a long way from the rough examples of years past. It is not always that easy to tell the difference by feel anymore, so you will want to check carefully, and possibly compare the item you are buying with other similar garments that you know for sure are made with faux or real fur.
One other test that is a little bit more reliable is blowing on the fur clothing. You may have seen this done by people in the shops at one time or another without knowing why they did that. The reason for this is that clothes made out of real fur will tend to show their roots clearly when you blow on them even gently. This will allow you to see the hairs attached to the base, which is a clear sign of real fur. Some fur clothing will clearly show the skin of the animal underneath, but most newer real fur items will have a cotton or synthetic base instead. This base may or may not be colored by the manufacturer, so you will want to take a very close look to be sure.
A clear sign of a faux fur coat is an under coat that has pretty much the same length. In most case the color will also be uniform. Again this is one aspect that has been improved upon, so it should only be one factor in your search for a real fur piece of clothing.