Fur coats are a famous type of clothing in the fashion industry. In the beginning, fur coats have been crucial for survival for people living in frozen lands when it is cold and snowing all the time like Eskimo for example. However, nowadays, the urgent need to cover your body from cold and protect your life from freezing to death has become a luxury contest where women and men try to show off with the best animal fur coat coming in the catchiest color and the most unique design.
However, with the fast-growing rate of the fur industry in the 20th century, thousands of manufacturers jumped on the boat and started hunting wildlife animals like foxes, bears, leopards, and more, at an alarming rate. Then, it started what it is called fur farming which is raising animals in farms for the sole purpose of killing them when they grow and using their fur, without paying slight attention to their wellbeing.
With the pressure of organizations like PETA, this practice pushed the human conscience to the creation of a new better alternative that is cruelty-free that would make very similar coats with synthetic technics, which is called faux fur.
The War is Declared Between Real and Faux Fur Lovers
Now, we find ourselves before two superpowers of the fur fashion industry, one that claims that the quality of the real fur coats and jackets is unmatchable and they would never change them with cheap artificial wear. The other one is people who are still in need to wear furry coats for the cold winter, but they cannot stand all the abuse and cruelty that come with these products and they prefer the alternative of fake fur especially if the brand is trustworthy.
However, in many cases, fur lovers from the two groups find themselves confused about whether the coats or jackets they are buying are authentic or mislabeled.
So then, how do know the difference between real and fake fur coats?
Our quick response is real fur coats tend to be heavier, more expensive, softer, silkier than faux fur coats, and have an animal leather backing with irregular hair length.
Nevertheless, there are some helpful quick tips to tell one from another below.
Tips To Know The Difference Between Real and Fake Fur Coats
1) Search or ask the retailer of the coats
This is the easiest one for sure. If you really trust your local or online retailer, just ask him. Also, if you know the brand, look at the label or the description to find information on the fur source.
2) Look at the base of the fur coat
The base backing is a good indicator.
Real fur often comes with a tanned animal skin base where the animal fur is attached. In addition, the real fur hair fibers are always of different lengths.
Faux fur comes with a woven fabric backing where artificial fibers are sewed. The faux fur hair fibers are in most cases of the same length.
3) Look at the Tips of the fur coat hair
Real animal fur tips taper to a fine point whereas faux fur tips look cut in manufacture. In contrast, faux fur hair seems blunt and not pointing directly
4) Feel the surface with your hands
With a delicate touch of your palms, try to focus on the texture of the hair. This is a strong indicator if you are a little bit used to buying or selling fur products.
With this quick instinctive touch, real fur will come as very soft and sleek and slips easily between the fingers. Imagine you are touching your pet, if the feeling is similar then it is animal fur.
Faux fur hair on coats feels more rough and sticky especially if your palms are humid, because of more static electricity on the synthetic fibers. The feeling is a little less silky and less enjoyable than real fur.
5) Try the burn test
This requires the sacrifices of little hair. Grab a lighter and carefully burn the extremity of the coat hair in a hidden area.
Real fur hair singes and the smell is organic (like human hair). However, faux fur melts and forms plastic balls with a plastic burning smell.
The burn test is a very good indicator to tell the difference between the two furs.
Be Skeptical
Sometimes and we often see that the big brands and manufacturers are very good at their job that they can make it hard to spot the real fur, making it look like artificial fur. This practice has seen a big boom since people are more aware of the conditions of the production of animal fur coats. This has caused fur coats prices to drop and faux fur coats prices to rise.
If you are shopping in a local retailer and you are still unsure about the source of fur, just walk away and find another retailer.
If you shop online, try to be meticulous and look carefully at the description, photos, or videos. Even ask the online support about the source and the conditions in which the desired coat was fabricated.
Final Thoughts
We wrote this article to enlighten people on how to be sure if the coat you’re shopping for is made from real or faux fur. Nevertheless, it is up to the consumer to make smart responsible decisions given the fact that everybody knows how real fur coats are manufactured and how many innocent animals are killed or abused in the process.
In Fur-best.com, we are 100% against using real fur goods and we try our best to supply our consumers with top-notch artificial fur coats, blankets, pillows, and more home and fashion goods, without sacrificing too much the quality and the style. That means that we achieve a satisfying level of similarity without harming poor innocent animals.
If you want to know more about why faux fur is better, you can read this article.
