Fairchild Books

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?2007 Fairchild Publications, Inc.
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Leather and Fur

• The Leather Industry
• History and Development
• Organization and Operation
• Merchandising and Marketing
• Trends in the Leather Industry
• The Fur Industry
• History and Development
• Organization and Operation
• Merchandising and Marketing
• Trends in the Fur Industry

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The Leather Industry

• Leather and fur are the oldest, most sought
  after, and most glamorous of textiles.
• Both leather and fur are animal skins
• One side of the skin is leather, the other is
  fur
• The leather industry is currently expanding its
  markets

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Leather

• Preparing leather is a specialized, time
  consuming effort
• Orders require 8 to 16 months advance notice
• The leather industry suffers less abuse than the
  fur industry from PETA as leather is mainly a
  by-product of the meat packing industry

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Types of Tanneries

• Regular
• Purchase and process skins and hides into leather
• Contract
• Process skins and hides for converters, but are
  not involved in the final sale of the leather
• Converters
• Purchase skins and hides
• Commission contract tanneries to process
• Sell the finished product to manufacturers

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Categories of Leather

• Almost all leather comes from cattle. But the
  hides and skins of many other animals are also
  used in fashion apparel and accessories. There
  are nine major categories of leather

• Exotic Leathers
• Aquatic Frog, seal, shark, walrus
• Land Camel, elephant, ostrich
• Reptile Alligator, crocodile, lizard, snake

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Classification of Pelts

• Skins
• Less than 15 pounds
• Kips
• More than 15 pounds, but less than 25 pounds
• Hides
• More than 25 pounds

Transforming these skins into leather requires
three to six months, utilizing a process called
TANNING
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Leather Processing

• Tanning can be accomplished through the use of
• Minerals
• Vegetables
• Oils
• Chemicals
• A combination of the above

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Merchandising and Marketing

• Because of the long lead times involved, leather
  forecasters are among the best and most
  experienced in the industry
• To protect and broaden the market leather
  producers constantly broaden their range of
  colors, weights, and textures

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Leather Trade Associations and Trade Shows

• Leather Industries of America (LIA)
• Sponsors semiannual color seminars
• Supports a Hide Training School
• Sponsors a student design award
• Trade Shows
• Semaine du Cuir, ParisSeptember
• Hong Kong International Leather FairJune
• Tanners Apparel and Garment Show (TAG),
  NYCOctober

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Trends in Leather

• The leather industry has changed because of three
  trends

• Enlarging market opportunities
• Increased competition from synthetics
• Increased foreign trade

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Leather as a Fashion Force

• The versatility of leather is a hit as a fashion
  force for sportswear and on the red carpet

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Fur History and Development

• By the Middle Ages, fur announced ones wealth and
  status
• In America, beaver was the most sought after fur
  at the turn of the 18th century.
• J.J. Astor owed his fortune to the trade
• In 1900, the Chilean government backed a loan
  with chinchilla skins.

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Fur History and Development

• As beaver became scarce, Lincoln wore a silk hat
  to his inauguration
• The demand for beaver hats ceased overnight

• Demand for fur remained strong among women
• Prince Edward Island, Canada started farming furs
  in 1880

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Fur Fashions Change Slowly

• Todays market reflects the most varied list of
  popular furs ever
• Mink holds a commanding lead with fox and beaver,
  in that order, behind it
• Contemporary furs, a new category, include
  raccoon, fox, beaver, coyote, muskrat, tanuki
  (Japanese raccoon) and nutria (South American
  beaver-like animal)

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PETA vs. Fur Industry
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

• PETA has staged a variety of protests and pickets

• Other groups have raided fur farms releasing the
  animals, or destroying pedigree documents

• Still others have confronted consumers, throwing
  paint on women wearing fur coats

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Fur Industry Has Responded Strongly

• Their argument

• Fur farms do not remove animals from the wild
• 95 of fur used comes from humane trapping
• Real fur does not use non-renewable
  petroleum-based products which pollute the
  environment

Faux furs have grown in both quality and hence
popularity recently.
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Organization and Operation

• Three groups represent the three stages of
  production

• Trappers
• Fur processing companies
• Manufacturers of fur products

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Pelt Production

• Trappers are the primary source of wild animal
  pelts
• The majority of furs come from farms or ranches
• Fur pelts are sold at auctions, much like they
  were in the 13th century

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Fur Product Manufacturers

• Manufacturers contract with fur dressing and fur
  dyeing firms to process them

• Processing steps are usually performed by hand,
  although technology is turning it into a more
  mechanical process, allowing the worker to deal
  with each individual pelts color, quality, and
  peculiarities

• Innovations in 1989 by Fendi
• All fur can be reversible
• Lightweight, minimal bulk, fur that moves easily
  with the wearer

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Retail Distribution of Fur

• Happens in 1,500 stores nationwide
• Leased departments in department stores are
  common
• Consignment selling, where the fur manufacturer
  supplies merchandise to a retail store on loan,
  is another example of retail distribution in the
  fur industry
• Note that retailers have both off the rack furs
  and maintain their own pelts for custom work

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Merchandising and Marketing

• The Fur Labels Product Act of 1952 required

• English name of animal
• Country of origin
• Type of processing to which pelt was subjected
• Whether or not parts have been cut from less
  desirable paw or tail sections

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Trade Associations Fur Fairs

• The leading trade association is the Fur
  Information Council of America (FICA). They
  represent retailers and manufacturers.
• American Legend Cooperative is a mink ranchers
  association combining two major mink producing
  groupsEmba Mink Breeders Association (EMBA) and
  Great Lakes Mink Association (GLMA).
• Designers, manufacturers, retailers,
  import/exporters, wholesalers, and the media all
  attend one or more of the leading international
  fur fairs. They are held in Tokyo, Hong Kong,
  Milan, Moscow, Frankfurt and Montreal.

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Four Trends in Fur

• Renewed fashion interest in furs
• Increased foreign trade allowed for exports of
  high quality U.S. pelts
• Legislation protects endangered species to the
  detriment of non-endangered species
• New channels of distribution widen the audience
• Mail order
• Hotel, armory and arena sales

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Elegant or Rock Roll