Fur industry : history, tradition and future
The winter has begun and it is a good time to write about fur. Since I have worked there many years, I can say something as well. I always was charmed by women wearing fur coats. Of course climate changes have made some adjustments in Lithuania too. But at least one month we have winter, temperature drops below -20 degrees. Although the modern fashion industry is extremely flexible and producing coats from other staff too or combining fur with other materials. But in the cold weather if you have to stay for a longer time fur coats are number one.
This we can find in the exploration history. I mean two expeditions to the South Pole. As we know Scott's expedition suffered, by the mistakenly targeted animals, I mean Siberian ponies. I think Amundsen's success was not only sled dogs and their temps, but also clothes. Scott has chosen the woollen clothes, they had been wet, icing and that caused bad heating and got heavy too. Amundsen preferred to the Eskimo used furs coats.
Of course, if we are talking about modern human world, it is no longer required to carry out such raids, so the need for fur is considerably down. It is widely used cars in the daily life so manufactures adjusted that fur coats could be used in the cars comfortably too. Modern produces produce light fur coats and combining with other materials.
Winter fur is worked out from the animals that in the water. In the winter they remain awake throughout the year ( mink, sable, polar fox, rabbit).
Spring furs are produced from animals that lives in caves or deep water and in the winter falls asleep (beaver, nutria, badger, marmot).
Mink farm @ norgespelsdyrarslag
Furs value depends on the hairs length, density, softness, colour, luster, thermal properties.
Furs trade took place since ancient times. This is unique industry. It opens cultures, traditions and ways of life. It has become an international business and is broth economical benefits to the regions. It is guaranteed productivity and will not go away some wildlife species. Modern farmers following the needs of animals. It is designed veterinarian control systems. Farms that do not meet animals welfare requirements are simply not certified as a furs growers association member. Of course one rules valid in Scandinavia, the Baltic States and other - in Russia and China.
Fur traded Phoenicians, Mediterranean nations and Scandinavians. High-quality fur appears in the seventeenth century that started its expansion to the East, Siberia. Even today fur trade is an important part for the local population of Canada, Alaska and Siberia. However, the greatest part of the fur are grown by the fur are grown by the fur farms (89%). The most farms are located in Northern Europe, including Denmark, 64%, North America 11%, The Baltic states, Argentina, Ukraine, Russia and China - 25%.
Before delivering skin for the auctions it has to be worked out. It is a common practise that the skin is painted. The skin will be delivered for the international market throw auctions. The best known of them are Copenhagen (Copenhagen fur), Helsinki ( Saga furs), Seattle, Toronto.Traditional fur markets are in Northern America, Europe and Russia. It also recently emerged in Japan, Korea, China, Kazakhstan, Turkey and even Brazil.
Modern fur fashion designers using fur not only fur production for the coats, also for handbags, shoes, hood edge, elements of evening dresses. So far the coats have a practical significance, arctic explorers wearing jackets from the coyotes fur. But we have to mention and alternatives for the fur, such as jackets from goose feathers.
Foxes
There is one of the most popular furs, their hairs are extremely fluffy and good staff for the fashion works. The coat has a very wide variety of colours: red, white, gray silver and black silver.
Mink
Most is grown in Denmark, originate from North America. Their fur is the most popular. It is luxuriously soft, dense and light, very broad palette of colours (up to 26). The skin is sometimes cut. It is mainly liked by women.
If you succeed to come to the mink farm, mink will immediately attract attention; former uproar suddenly disappears for a short time. Mink is curious and likes to stand on the rear foots and monitor the environment. It is quite lovely animal, but there is no pet. Of course in those 50 years when animal are bred on farms are significantly changed. They make less noise, less aggressive, but still everything happens. Farmers must monitor them . They can live for up to 30 degrees cold, at least in Lithuania it is so. Cages where mink lives, are supplied with water . They are fed on the top of the cages several times per day. March is a breeding month, usually mink got 4-6 kids. Each animal has its own identification number and information about parents. Also the cages are equipped with a small room, where they making nests for the kids or to heat themselves in the winter time. Young mink necessarily to vaccinate several times a year. It also should be taken blood tests. Several times per year visit veterinarian them and checking whether the animals are healthy and are properly cared for. Of course there are cases of cannibalism, which animal activists like to demonstrate for the public. But it is a small percentage of all farm animals. They are labelled and separated, they do not participate in breeding.
Furs business cultivation takes place according to a certain cycle. March - mink pairing, May - kids are borne, July - kids will be separated from the mothers , November - sorting, December - hibernation.
Probably all are curious how much fur skin cost. According 2013-2014 season prices has fallen drastically, from 70 to 30 euro. At the moment the price is about 45 euro. Lithuanian farmers begin to take auction advances, which they have difficulties to cover with furs skin. Lithuania has 170 fur farms and they are growing 1,5 million mink. Denmark has about 2500 farms and growing 17 million, Poland - 8 million, Dutch - 5,5 million, Finns - 1,9 million , Greeks - 1,8 million, Chinese - 20\30 million.
According to the head of the Lithuanian fur association best quality has Danes, after entering Norwegian and Lithuanian are parallel with Swedes. The Chinese can not achieve European quality.
Keywords : fur, mink, fur coats, Saga furs, mink farm, Amundsen, fur auctions, Norway, Lithuania, China, Russia, Vilniaus kailiai.
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