Many people buy faux fur, or even faux fur lined garments over the real thing because they think they’re being kind to animals. Unfortunately, the reverse is often true. Some recent findings concerning designer goods have surfaced, showing consumers that we need to be more vigilant than ever, in order to know what we’re getting.
What’s wrong with faux fur?
In principal, nothing. In practice, quite a bit is wrong with faux fur. Resent tests have shown that high end designer clothing from labels like Burberry, and Nicole Miller that was labeled as synthetic fur is actually real fur. From dogs. Some designer items labeled as being raccoon or rabbit, were also dog fur. Most of these products came from China, where enforcement of quality standards are lax. All of these falsely labeled items came from the raccoon dog, a native Asian canine that is similar in appearance to a raccoon. This animal is also sometimes referred to as Tanuki. Its fur is very similar to that of a cross fox, or raccoon.
while the fur itself is a reasonable quality fur, most raccoon dogs are very poorly treated, as they are not a standard pelt animal. Chinese raccoon dogs are often bred in small cages, and their death is anything but humane (it’s actually very greusome). That’s why it’s so important to know exactly what you are buying when you get a fur coat, no matter if it’s real or fake.
How can I avoid getting ripped off while buying a real or faux fur coat?
Easy! Buy from someone you trust. Any reputable furrier will be able to tell that the furs he gets from his suppliers are real. This is not the case for unlucky designers and department stores who were misled by the manufacturers of their fur, and fur lined coats. A real furrier will know by look and texture that the fur he has genuinely came from the animal it’s being represented as. He will also know how his suppliers treat the animals that they raise, and can ensure that any farms that raise animals for pelts conduct their business as humanely as possible. If you have a garment that you suspect has been misrepresented, you can always take it to a professional furrier who will give you his professional opinion about its origins, and how honestly it has been represented.