Historically, leather has been a symbol of luxury and distinction. It is highly valued in countries around the world, from early European royalty to early American merchants to today’s fashion world. The industry has come a long way since the days of the early fur traders. Many types of fur are available around the world today, and thanks to the science of modern farming technologies, fur farming techniques, and fur manufacturing methods, many improvements have been made. Today, these enhancements reveal a whole new world of options and fashions to choose from. There are many types of fur coats available for sale. In fact, there are enough to cause confusion for uninformed buyers. It’s important to understand the most popular types of fur coats before you make a purchase so you can walk away confident and satisfied with your new fur coat purchase.
In this first part of a series of two articles, we will look at the different parts of the fur that make up a pelt, mink fur and its characteristics, and rabbit fur and its benefits. The follow-up article will take a closer look at fox fur, chinchilla fur, and other types of fur, as well as the origin of the fur.
skin parts
All fur has three parts; the leather, the protective hairs and the inner skin. Leather is obvious to most people, but just in case, it’s the backing that keeps the fur hairs in place. It’s what holds everything together. Without the inner fur and protective hairs, you would be left with an old leather coat or jacket. The undercoat is fuzzy (and usually softer) dense, but very fine hair. The inner fur is what gives a fur coat warmth and is usually shorter than the guard hairs, but not always. The guard hairs are usually shiny and longer compared to the undercoat. Fur guard hairs are responsible for the shine of all types of fur coats.
mink
Mink fur has remained on a pedestal throughout the evolution of the fur industry. It is soft and light and has shiny guard hairs combined with a soft, medium-density inner skin. Female mink furs are smaller than male mink furs and offer narrower stripes in the construction of a mink garment. These pelts sometimes create a softer, silkier coat than constructed male mink pelts. Female mink pelts typically have a finer hide, which reduces the weight of the final fur coat.
Don’t let the stylish mink furs fool you! These types of fur coats are incredibly durable despite their luxurious appearance. Mink fur offers an endless variety of colors, from natural shades of ranch, mahogany, demi-buff, autumn mist, and white, to just about any color under the rainbow when dyed. When it comes to mink, the difference in the height of the guard hairs in front of the inner fur is called a “nap”; generally, the shorter the nap, the higher the quality of the mink.
Although natural (undyed) mink is the most desirable, it usually commands a premium price due to the extra expense involved in meticulously sourcing and matching the fur. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with dyed mink, it just doesn’t have the same color quality as natural mink fur. Currently, most skins are minimally “enhanced” or added with dye. This means that a small amount of dye (not enough to penetrate the leather) is used on the leather fibers to establish color consistency across all hides used in the construction of the garment.
Natural mink colors.
- Ranch Mink – Black (The term “ranch” is often thought to refer to the origin of the material in that it comes from a mink ranch rather than being caught in the wild. This is not accurate; the term ranch is refers to the color, which is extremely dark brown to black mink).
- Mahogany – Deep Dark Brown
- Half-buff (Lunaraine) – Medium dark to light brown
- Autumn Haze – Light brown to beige
- Glacial – White (not pure white) with a golden tint
- Arcturus – Light beige with a subtle bluish undertone
- Black or Brown Cross: White to glacial shade with black or brown streaks at the tips of the guard hairs on the grutzen (the grutzen is the central stripe at the back of the skin).
- Blue Iris – Very deep grey/blue
- Sapphire – Silver gray
- Cerulean – Light Gray
- Azurene – Off white with gray undertone
- White – Bright White
- Artificial Colors – Mink can be almost any color in the visible light spectrum!
Rabbit
Rabbit fur generally has medium-length guard hair that appears in various natural colors, such as shades of brown or tan, as well as any color under the rainbow when dyed. These types of fur coats are great for children because they are comparatively lower in price, lightweight and very soft in texture.
There are basically two types of rabbit fur: Normal and Rex. Regular rabbit fur has a medium-low durability rating, but due to the price compared to other fur, it is considered good value for money. Rex rabbit fur has a medium durability rating and is significantly softer and fluffier than regular rabbit fur. Normal rabbit fur can vary significantly in quality, with the lowest qualities being prone to shedding and shedding, while Rex rabbit fur has a very narrow quality range and sheds very little. Rex rabbit fur is generally priced slightly higher than regular rabbit fur. Due to its price and soft texture, rabbit fur is one of the most sought after types of fur jackets and trim material for leather and cloth coats.
More information about fox fur, chinchilla fur and other types of fur in detail, as well as the origin of the fur, will follow in “Choosing types of fur coats, part two”.
