How to distinguish faux fur from natural: a few tips for choosing fur products. Faux fur How to identify faux fur from natural

Natural or artificial fur? Which is better to choose? A fur coat made of natural fur is expensive, and not everyone can afford it in the current economic situation. Faux fur, developed using new technologies, is present in various garments today. And now every woman has the opportunity to purchase a fur coat at an affordable price.

What is faux fur?
How is it different from natural? What are its merits?

Braschi fur collection

Natural fur

If it is difficult to distinguish a faux fur coat from natural fur, then it is easy to detect by touch. Natural fur is fluffy, it always feels soft and warm, inherent only in animal origin, its villi lie unevenly and have different lengths. The fibers of natural furs always create a shine of the product and a special smoothness and elasticity.

However, the quality of natural fur depends on many factors, and not only on compliance with all the rules for dressing the skin. It should be noted the importance of keeping animals or the time of extraction of natural raw materials. If you violate any established rules, you can get a short-lived and low-quality fur. And you will find out about this when bald patches appear in your fur coat soon enough in places subject to greater friction, or after repeated exposure to rain or snow, when the villi begin to fall out.

Natural fur is afraid of moth larvae that spoil appearance products. Cleaning products made of natural fur is quite difficult. Storage and cleaning require a certain temperature regime. And finally, products made from natural fur are expensive.

Faux fur - its advantages and disadvantages

Artificial fur. The villi of faux fur are most often more uniform and uniform. This can also be seen visually. While wearing an artificial product, its difference from the natural one will immediately declare itself. Such warmth, as in a natural fur coat, you will not be able to feel in the highest quality artificial one.

However, faux fur today is a material that is as close as possible in terms of characteristics to natural raw materials, plus it has its own advantages.

The price of faux fur products is certainly lower than natural things. Just do not focus on the lowest cost of artificial material. Everyone knows that good quality thing can't be too cheap. From this dignity it follows that you can buy several beautiful things made of faux fur and often change fur outfits.

Stella McCartney does not use real fur in her collections

Fur can be of almost any color and shades, it all depends on the designer's imagination.

Products made of faux fur do not allow moisture to pass through.

Finally, no animals are harmed in the production of faux fur products.

The main disadvantages of faux fur are lower thermal insulation and fragility. Indeed, faux fur, despite modern technologies and achievements, while inferior to natural in thermal insulation. It keeps heat worse, and can last up to 4 years at best.

Over time, the villi begin to get confused and fall out. Your fur coat will gradually take on the appearance of a shedding animal. But after all, most girls do not need to wear the same fur coat year after year - they always want something new.

Faux fur is gaining more and more fans. Fur coats and fur jackets made of this material will certainly suit those who live in fairly warm regions.

Giorgio Armani - the designer has abandoned natural fur, but he has not had luxurious fur before

Production of artificial fur

Today, faux fur is made from polyacrylonitrile fibers, sometimes combined with viscose. Lavsan and kapron are used. The villi are attached to a base, which can be textile or artificial leather, often a knitted fabric is used, on which the villi are glued or sprayed.

To create an imitation of natural fur, the pile is made of different lengths - long piles imitate the outer hair of the animal, and short ones - downs. Faux fur is dyed with various dyes, giving it natural shades. Apply and different kinds cutting material. Thus, you can get fur identical to natural.

The next Coach collection will be made without natural fur

With help the latest technologies manufacturers manage to create artificial fur that is identical to the skin of silver fox, fox, arctic fox, mink, chinchilla, raccoon, wolf, lynx, leopard ...

The pile is attached to the canvas using different technologies. Of these, three are more common:

1. Consignment note or adhesive - fur villi are attached to the base with polyisobutylene glue.

2. Fabric stitching - the material is made on tufting machines that form pile loops on the canvas.

3. Knitted method - the pile is woven into the base of the fabric using knitting machines. To prevent the product from passing moisture, sometimes on outside canvases are coated with a special coating.

New technologies have made it possible to obtain fur that is resistant to moisture and other unfavorable factors. The fur does not wrinkle, does not cake, does not roll.

Faux fur is often called eco-fur, considering it a safe and environmentally friendly product. But what does an environmentally friendly product mean?

Fendi is not going to give up natural materials, and is experimenting a lot with fur. Some Fendi items are made from sheep's wool, but it's hard to tell them apart from mink.

Many manufacturers and fashion media refer to any artificial fur as eco-fur. But to be more precise, one must understand that for nature and ecology, artificial fur is worse than natural fur. Artificial materials are much more difficult to recycle than natural ones. Everyone knows how much trouble nature brings plastic waste. Therefore, you can’t call any artificial version eco-fur.

It is much more correct to call eco-fur a special material that is made on the basis of natural sheep wool and a textile base. Sheep are sheared and released to graze further in the meadows, and the wool after processing is woven into a textile base made of cotton or viscose. This material can be called eco-fur.

Faux fur has recently been used by many designers, including the most famous. With this material, fantastic images are easily created; clothes of any type, style and size can be sewn from it, moreover, from a single piece of fabric. Therefore, faux fur is of interest to fashionistas.

Completely faux fur coat, even polyester lining

Recently, on the catwalk one could see various fur coats - both long and short, of different colors and styles made of synthetic materials. Faux fur is also found in fur trims of coats, jackets, jackets and vests. It adequately takes its place as a collar and finishing pockets, sleeves, hoods. Faux fur is used for sewing hats, shoes, children's clothing and various accessories.

Modern production of artificial materials has reached high level, but it is not easy to compare with the advantages of natural fur. And yet, attention is sometimes required to distinguish one fur from another.

You can draw a conclusion about the origin of the fur by looking at the wrong side, or slightly pushing the villi apart - you will see fabric as the basis instead of leather. In some cases, the following check works - if you run your hand over the material in the course of the growth of the villi, the villi immediately fall into place in natural fur, the artificial version becomes slightly disheveled.

Faux fur coats from new collections

Caring for faux fur products is easy. It is enough to brush it regularly. If you need a fur coat for several seasons or your budget is low, a faux fur coat will come in handy for you. Even with a fairly modest income, any woman can afford to buy a stylish fur coat that imitates the skin of any animal.

If you appreciate beauty and chic, and besides, you have the means, then you definitely need to buy a fur coat made of natural fur, because so far the fashion industry has not created materials that can come close to mink and sable fur.

If you are going to acquire a fur product, one of the first questions that arises is the origin of fur. Today, there are artificial and natural fur on sale, and it cannot be said that one of them is more popular - they simply occupy different market segments. It goes without saying that the cost of artificial products is several times lower. Although, lovers of chic prefer fur coats or vests made of mink, sable or fox.

But, it's one thing if a lady decides to make this or that purchase, knowing in advance what she is getting, but it's completely different when an unscrupulous seller tries to sell artificial fur under the guise of natural fur. In any case, it is useful to know what properties natural fur coats have and how they can be distinguished from clothes made from high-quality eco-fur.

You can see that the faux fur in the photo looks so that it is almost indistinguishable from natural fur. Actually, the more this similarity, the better. But, if desired, you can always find differences. The main thing is to know what to pay attention to.

1. The first difference is in weight. An eco-fur product, whether it is a fur coat, vest or short fur coat, will be somewhat heavier than natural fur. But, this method is good if both fur options are presented in the store.
2. Artificial fur does not wrinkle as easily as natural fur, it is much less silky and soft to the touch. True, such touch sensations are very subjective, so it is best to use them in conjunction with other methods of checking the fur.
3. The main method of how to distinguish natural fur from artificial fur is to set fire to the villi. You need to pull out 3-4 hairs from the clothes you are testing and set them on fire. Natural wool at the same time will emit a characteristic animal smell. And the artificial pile will smell chemically. In addition, synthetics do not burn, but melt, and this can be seen with the naked eye.
4. You can push the villi with your hands on any part of the fur and look at the base. If you see a fabric, then be sure that you have an eco-fur coat in front of you.
5. Natural fur reflects light at a certain angle, while the reflectivity of artificial pile does not depend on the angle of incidence of light. It seems more shiny, but does not look natural.

The choice between natural or artificial fur is very ambiguous. Although, it is useful to be able to distinguish the origin of products, so as not to replenish the number of deceived buyers. Every person should know what he is going to buy.

The answer to this question seems simple only until you come face to face with the problem itself. In some products, the origin of the fur is beyond doubt, but there are also those that need to be purchased with extreme caution, otherwise you risk becoming a victim of dishonest sellers.

How to distinguish real fur from a fake?

If you buy a fur thing in a well-known branded store, where the chances are small to “run into” a fake, then the label will help you figure out the quality of the material. A good manufacturer will not forget to mark on it what kind of fur he used.

But even if you are used to buying clothes in other stores, then, having the knowledge of how to distinguish natural fur from faux fur, you can protect yourself from a fake.

The main differences between natural fur and artificial

1. The basis of natural fur is wrinkled, rather tough leather, the lining of artificial fur is made of dense fabric with a cloth base. If the fur on the product does not move apart well, then use a needle for the test - just stick it into the product. If it comes out easily, then you have a woven base in front of you, but if it bumps into an obstacle, then most likely it is leather, which means that the fur is natural.
2. An “extreme” way to check is to pull out a few hairs from a product or sample and set it on fire - natural fur burns quickly and smells like burnt hair, artificial fur has the smell of burnt plastic and melts much longer.
3. The price is not a 100% natural indicator, too much discount should make you think that you are being deceived.

How to distinguish natural and artificial mink fur?

Elite mink fur is often faked. To do this, use completely non-elite skins of rabbits or marmots. Deception is sometimes hard to spot. Only after a couple of years, when the fur begins to shine, fall out, wipe off, you may suspect something is wrong. So that such disappointment does not befall you, do not rush to buy, but carefully inspect the fur and pay attention to such points:

• rabbit fur is too soft, and groundhog fur, on the contrary, is too hard, so focus on the golden mean - mink is moderately soft and hard to the touch, it can prick a little;
• the length of the hairs in mink fur is the same throughout the product;

If you want to buy a high-quality natural fur coat, you need to go to a specialized store. It is advisable to choose between well-known network points that have been on the market for a long time.

As a rule, they have long established themselves with better side, have good reviews and will not spoil their reputation for the sake of one sale. In addition, in the "networkers" each fur product is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. The chances of getting a fake are reduced to a minimum. But even in well-known stores, unpleasant situations sometimes happen: there are enough scammers in the country.

How to distinguish a natural fur coat from an artificial one

If there is not the slightest idea about the differences between artificial and natural fur, in the store you should at least examine the label of the fur coat with particular captiousness. On the tag, the manufacturer reflects basic information about the fur of the animal, its origin, the rules for caring for the product and how to use it correctly.

This method does not always help: unscrupulous manufacturers may well indicate false information on the label. The complete absence of any tag almost certainly indicates that the product is a skillful fake. This is due to the fact that 8 years ago a law was passed that obliged manufacturers of fur products to attach tags with brief information about the product.

Key differences

There are several criteria by which you can buy a natural fur coat, without the risk of being in the hands of scammers. When buying, you need to focus on them, as well as on your own intuition.

The basis

For products made of natural fur, the basis is leather. The basis must be carefully studied: it will not be easy to do this in a natural fur coat, since animal skins have a very thick pile. It is much easier to move the hairs apart to see and evaluate the lining of a faux fur coat: a dense fabric is used as the basis for such products.

In addition, when trying to part the fur in different directions, in a synthetic fur coat, there is a high probability of individual hairs falling out. The basis of a fur coat made of natural animal fur is a hard, rough texture of the skin. It is difficult for a beginner to recognize the basis at a glance. To understand what kind of product is in front of the buyer, you can arm yourself with a long sewing needle and try to pierce the lining of the fur coat. If the “tool” enters smoothly, it is faux fur with a fabric base.

In addition, you can crumple a piece of fur in your hand, which is usually attached to the inside of the product: artificial materials easily wrinkle and take their original shape for a long time. The skin of the animal does not leave creases, quickly returns to its original shape.

Tactile perception

Burnt fashionistas who regularly purchase natural fur coats can distinguish artificial materials by touch. And indeed, tactile perception is a great helper when choosing a fur coat. Natural fur is very soft, running your hand over it, you can feel how it flows through your fingers like a silk cloth.

In the case of synthetic materials, the palm will feel a rough, brittle pile, not much resembling natural fur. Such colossal differences are due to the unique structure of animal fur: each hair of natural fur is wide, round at the base and narrowed towards the end. Artificial material - square hairs. That is why the originals of fur coats flow, shimmer and play brightly in the sun.

Price

The above methods sometimes do not work due to good quality fakes produced. Faux fur is very similar to real fur, some "good" fakes even use leather as a base. But the cost of such products is still an order of magnitude lower. Artificial fur is an inexpensive material, manufacturers from China give it away almost for free. Hence the low cost and low market price.

There is a separate category of people who prefer artificial fur - animal advocates. Therefore, fur coats made of such materials are in demand among the masses. Yes, and not everyone can afford a luxury product made of natural fur, choosing alternatives warm clothes.

Reliable verification method

Sounds strange, but one of the most effective ways authenticity checks - set fire to the hairs of a fur coat. To do this, you just need to quietly pull out a few hairs and set them on fire with a lighter. A guarantee of a natural fur coat is the characteristic unpleasant smell of burnt hair and rapid combustion.

Artificial hairs do not differ in such properties: after arson, they begin to melt, twist and emit a toxic smell of plastic. This is the most reliable method to understand if the product is offered by the seller. However, this kind of verification is not always possible.

How to distinguish mink fur

The most popular fur coats and fake most often. Of course, artificial fur is not given out for elite mink products: natural fur is also used for their production. To reproduce a high-quality fake, manufacturers use the skins of rabbits or marmots.

These furry animals also have soft fur, but striking differences are felt to the touch. It should be noted that rabbit skins are too soft, for sure, many once stroked rabbits and understand what it is about. The skins of marmots, on the contrary, are too hard.

But the mink is the golden mean between them. Soft, but at the same time harsh, when holding a hand in rare places it can prick. It is also necessary to evaluate the quality of the hairs: in natural mink coat they are all like a selection, even and the same length.

If you do not reveal the deception at the stage of buying a fur coat, the girl wears the purchased product for another 2-3 years, not noticing the poor quality. But after this time, the rabbit fur begins to “crawl out”. The fur coat looks shabby, with sparse shiny fur.

If you really want to buy a fur coat made of natural fur, you need to understand that you will have to provide it with proper care: after each season, take it to dry cleaning, store it in covers and strictly monitor that unwanted insects do not start in the product.

The fair sex go crazy for beautiful fur coats, probably since the time they lost their own, natural "fur coats". And since then, a particularly wealthy and prominent man is considered to be the one who can hang a chic skin of some animal on the shoulders of his woman.

Of course, progress has already spoken its word everywhere, but in this relation he changed little. Now we prefer fur coats not from whole skins, but from a large number smaller and softer skins of the so-called "furry" animals. Foxes, scribes, beavers, scribbles, rabbits, minks and many other animal species cursed the day when man noticed their beautiful, warm and silky, shiny skins. Since then, there is no salvation for them anywhere, clever hunters overtake them everywhere to put them on fur for their women.

The only thing left unchanged- this is a high price. Until now, only the wealthiest ladies can show off a beautiful fluffy skin, and only rich men can pamper their beauties with such a "cool" gift.

But also technologies do not stand still. For a long time and on an industrial scale, the production of artificial fur and clothing from it has been launched. The fibers of such fur are made from coal, hydrocarbon and limestone. Its production is much cheaper than the production of natural fur (hunting and raising fur-bearing animals), and in the process of making clothes, it behaves much more pliably, which reduces tailoring costs.

Fur coats and faux fur coats are available not only to the rich, but to any family with an average income. In addition to the price, such fur coats have other advantages. So, for example, since neither coal nor limestone is included in the diet of the moth, it “does not see” and does not touch the synthetic fur coat, so you don’t have to worry that the whole coat put in the closet will be removed after the summer in the form just one stub.

Moreover, unlike from natural fur, artificial tolerates the painting procedure very well. This is actively used by manufacturers, offering many spectacular wardrobe items made of faux fur, which can be an excellent embodiment of the most daring look.

But, of course, and shortcomings chemically produced fur also has enough. First of all, they do not protect against the weather in the way real fur does. After all, the skins of fur animals are designed by nature itself precisely in order to provide them with ideal heat transfer. Sable coats, for example, were worn by ladies several centuries ago almost in summer, because even at not too low temperatures they are not hot, they breathe well. But, if it's cold outside, then the same sable coat reliably protects its owner from the inhospitable cold of the environment.

Fur does not pass moisture, because otherwise a wet animal would freeze. Drops simply flow down the hairs of the skin to the ground. This is also very convenient in the case when snow attacked the fur coat in winter, and when it got into the room, it began to actively melt. You don’t have to worry about a fur coat - water will drain from it like water from a goose.

Perfectly protected fur coat and from the wind. Inside it is warm and calm, even the strongest gusts will not be missed by a thick layer of natural protection. The fur is pleasant to the touch, it does not emit unpleasant odors, it is absolutely environmentally friendly.

Which, of course, is not say with all confidence about artificial fur, which, as mentioned above, is not a very natural combination of chemical components. It can often cause allergic reactions and similar adverse effects.

Faux fur wears out unlike faster than natural. The latter can be worn for decades, and age will not leave its mark on it. Some fur coats are inherited from generation to generation without losing their luster. Faux fur coats lose this sheen very quickly, and usually wear out in five, maximum ten years.

Moreover, it is very difficult to find really good coat from synthetic material. Since everyone who is not lazy rushed to manufacture them, the quality of most of such goods on the market, to put it mildly, is not so hot. With a few exceptions, faux fur clothing generally looks like some kind of plush toy, and you will look exactly the same in it.

And yet, no matter how paradoxically it will sound, but natural fur coats are a ridiculous vestige of bygone centuries in our century. Yes, they perfectly protect from the wind, from the cold, from any bad weather, and faux fur coats cannot be compared with this quality. But why go in cycles in fur coats at all? After all, we have invented so many different environmentally friendly materials that have long surpassed even the best fur coat in all respects.

For all advantages of a fur coat made of artificial fur, such as a relatively low price and unattractiveness for moths, a high-quality modern jacket is also not harmful to health, it is not blown, it protects even more reliably than natural fur in any bad weather, does not require any special personal care, it is easy to wash, dry , is stored. Isn't it more profitable to buy a modern technology product? Why are "natural" fur coats so popular so far?

Because of beauty? status and image? But what kind of beauty is this, for the sake of which one has to climb into someone else's skin? It looks like stupid and capricious pampering - throwing out for a wardrobe item, which is enough to buy half an inexpensive car?

Doesn't it look like stupid papuanism to dress up in such things when they no longer carry their usual functional load? And besides, perhaps any lady who dreams of proudly parading through the streets in an elegant new thing should watch at least one or two videos on the Internet that describe the "process of making" fur. The gnawed bodies of small unfortunate animals dumped uphill, stunned by blows to the ground and skinned alive (so as not to spoil the precious fur) will not discourage the desire to sponsor such production with money from their own pocket, perhaps only the most cruel people.