Fur Industry, area of commerce that encompasses farming or trapping certain furbearing animals, processing their skins for sale to manufacturers of fur garments, and marketing finished garments to retail outlets. The term fur refers to any animal skin or part that has hair, fleece, or fur fibers attached, either in a raw or processed state. Skins of furbearing animals are also called peltries or pelts.

From earliest times, fur has been a prized commodity. Exploration in the New World made furs more readily available, and as early as 1530 regular shipments of beaver pelts were sent to Europe from the colonies. The beaver, trapped by Native Americans, was a main source of barter at trading posts that later grew into such cities as Chicago; St. Louis, Missouri; Saint Paul, Minnesota; Spokane, Washington; and Detroit.

Fur Farming

Fur farming, or raising animals in captivity under controlled conditions, started in Canada in 1887 on Prince Edward Island. Animals with unique characteristics of size, color, or texture can pass those characteristics on to their offspring through controlled breeding. Fur farmers customarily crossbreed animals (mate different varieties from the same species) and inbreed animals (mate close relatives) to produce furs with desirable characteristics. The silver fox, developed from the red fox, was the first fur so produced. Today, so-called mutation minks ranging from white to near black and from bluish to lavender and rosy-tan colors, each with exotic trade names, are raised on thousands of fur farms, as are chinchilla, nutria, and fox. Fur-farmed animals provide a steady supply of fine-quality, well-cared-for peltries.

Marketing Channels for Furs

North American fur trappers and farmers have come under increasing pressure from foreign competition. By the late 1980s, the Scandinavian countries produced 45 percent of the world supply of peltries; the USSR supplied 31 percent, the U.S. 10 percent, and Canada only 3 percent. Retail sales of furs in the U.S. grew from less than $400 million in the early 1970s to $1.5 billion by the mid-1980s, then stagnated at between $1.8 billion and $2 billion annually. The fur industry has also been hurt by protests from animal rights activists and the increasing popularity of artificial fur.

Trappers send peltries to local collecting stations or to dealers who send them on to receiving houses, where they are prepared for auction. Prime furs, those caught during the coldest season (When fur and skin are best for garments), are labeled as firsts. Unprime furs, caught earlier or later, are labeled as seconds, thirds, or fourths. Fur-farmed peltries are often brought to collecting stations; more commonly, the farmer is part of a farming cooperative, such as the Great Lakes Mink Association or the Mutation Mink Breeders Association, whose representatives supervise the assembling and sale of peltries.

At fur auction houses, the furs, bundled in groups according to color, size, quality, and source, are sold to the highest bidders; all sales are for cash. Some furs are sold through brokerage firms. Fur dealers and manufacturers buy at the auctions or through brokers. Factoring, begun in 1935, is a method of financing dealers, brokers, and manufacturers. Factors charge a percentage for the use of their money.

Processing Furs

Furs bought at auction need to be preserved and beautified. Dressing and dyeing firms specialize in certain types of furs and charge a price for each processed skin.

Dressing

Dressing entails carefully scraping the skins to remove fat, washing them, and treating them with a series of chemicals that soften and preserve, or tan, the skin. Because the fur fiber—the shorter, fluffier fur that keeps the animal warm—and the longer guard hair—the coarser, harsher hair that sheds water and protects the fur fiber—are the beauty marks of most fur, they are given special treatment. Repeated tumblings in sawdust remove remaining grease and clean the furs. A final glazing, ironing or spraying with a chemical and air blowing, puts a sheen on the finished fur. Some furs go through additional beautification steps. Coarse guard hair, for example, from beaver and Alaska fur seal, is removed by plucking. The remaining fur fiber is then sheared with revolving blades to a velvety texture. Nutria, some rabbit, and muskrat, to imitate seal, may also be sheared. Pointing, a process of gluing either badger or monkey guard hair into furs, adds thickness and beauty to the fur by adding contrasting colors. Furs that, after glazing, have a rich coloration, are sold in their natural state.

Dyeing

Less attractive furs may have their color changed by dyeing or bleaching. Both of these processes tend to weaken the skins somewhat and to oxidize the furs, causing them to turn reddish or yellowish upon lengthy exposure to sun and air.

Dye may be applied in a bath of color, by rolling the dye onto the fur, by stroking it on with a feather, or simply by touching up the tips of the guard hair. Some furs, such as rabbit, may be stenciled to resemble leopard or other spotted furs. To brighten furs, a fluorescent dye is used, and some furs have their color altered by the application of a solution of copper or iron salts. The processed skins are then made into fur garments.

Fur Garment Manufacture

Since the mid-1970s furs have been made in more varied, sporty, and exotic ways as designers have created new, dramatic styles. Good-quality garments are made from the choice parts of the skin, which excludes the belly (flanks), paw, and head sections. Less costly garments are made from this waste fur.

Cutting and Shaping

Large skins, such as mouton lamb, may have the garment pattern cut from the skin. The garment parts are then joined together. Most animals, however, have smaller skins that must be joined in various ways to create a garment. The skin-on-skin method, commonly used with muskrat, squirrel, rabbit, small lamb, and some chinchilla, joins the trimmed skin lengthwise to other skins. This method leaves a straight, a zigzag, or a rounded joining mark, visible in all but curly-haired furs. Furriers lengthen and narrow the small skins in more costly garments to eliminate these cross markings. Thus, a mink skin that is about 15 cm (about 6 in) wide by about 40 cm (about 16 in) long, after being "let out" can become approximately 5 cm (about 2 in) wide and as much as 100 cm (about 39 in) long. To achieve this, diagonal slices are cut on the skin side in widths ranging from 1.25 cm (about 0.5 in) to 0.16 cm (about 0.06 in) and are then realigned and stitched to produce an elongated peltry. The stitching of thousands of such seams in a garment compacts the fur, making it richer and fluffier, and enables the furrier to drape the fur in many flowing directions. After sections of the garment are sewn, they are dampened, nailed into permanent shape on large flat boards, and left to dry. Thousands of tiny nails are used to flatten the seams on let-out garments.

Garment parts are then stitched together, linings are inserted, and the garment is tailored for fit and drape. Waste parts of the fur, cut from the skins of these quality garments, are assembled into sections, called plates, that are later cut, as is fabric, to make less costly garments.

Retailing of Furs

Some manufacturers custom-tailor garments for specific customers. Others have showrooms for customers. Still others sell only to retailers for resale. Some use manufacturers representatives who gather fur garments from many different sources in their showrooms for selection by retailers. Fur storage, cleaning, and remodeling of customers' furs are other services offered by retailers, manufacturers, or firms specializing in such work.

Fur Products Labeling Act

After processing, dyeing, shearing, and construction, furs are often difficult to identify. To protect seller from others who may falsify their products and to protect consumers against misrepresentation, the Fur Products Labeling Act was passed in the U.S., effective August 9, 1952, with minor amendments added in 1961, 1967, 1969, and 1980. Under this law, furs must be invoiced, advertised, labeled, and sold under their accepted English names. Waste fur and used fur articles must be so labeled. In addition, if any dye, color alteration, or change has been made that affects the fur's appearance, it must be so noted. If furs have been pointed, that fact must be disclosed on the label.

Furs of one type may not be used to define another, as for example, "sable mink" or "chinchilla rabbit"; nor may dyed furs be labeled by other names, such as "mink-dyed muskrat." Furs originating in countries other than the U.S. must disclose the name of the country of origin. Unprime skins must be so labeled. The accompanying table lists the more commonly known commercially valuable furs.

Endangered Species Conservation Act

Several groups of people, concerned that certain animal species are threatened with extinction or that using furs as wearing apparel represents cruelty to animals, have sought to protect them. Efforts by such organizations as the World Wildlife Fund, Friends of Animals, and the Fur Conservation Institute of America have resulted in the enactment of the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1973 and its added convention in 1977 by which the U.S. and nearly 80 other nations established procedures to control and monitor the import and export of imperiled species covered by treaty. The act and convention define as endangered any species that is in danger of extinction, and as threatened any species that is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. Covered by the act and convention are some seals, many cats, otters, badgers, kangaroos, Colobus monkeys, some rabbits, non-fur-farmed chinchilla, flying squirrels, and wolves. The agreement with other countries and within the U.S. is that furs will not move in any country or interstate commerce unless proof is provided that the species is not threatened or endangered.