If you want to be able to tell real fur from faux fur (which can be natural, man-made or synthetic fibers), read the steps below which will show you some ways to find out the differences.
Steps
Step 1. Search for labels
If you have a piece of clothing or an accessory in front of you, it will almost certainly have a label. The label shows the material the item is made of (assuming it is a genuine label).
Step 2. Check the brand of the garment
You can find out quite easily which brands produce items with real fur, which ones use faux fur, and which ones sell both types. Among the international brands that use both materials are: Abercrombie & Fitch, Aéropostale, American Apparel, Billabong, The Gap, H&M and many others who claim to use only ecological fur. For an updated list of companies that do not use real fur follow the links at the bottom of the article.
Step 3. Look at the price
Real fur is much more expensive than fake fur. That's why we tend to associate real fur with people of a certain age and wealth!
Step 4. Touch the fur
Not all items are properly labeled or priced appropriately. One method of distinguishing the two materials is by touching them.
- Real fur: it is very soft to the touch, it is smooth and passes through the fingers as if you were stroking a cat.
- Ecological fur: it is rougher and has a coarser grain; it can become slightly sticky to the touch with moisture and, at times, feels like touching a stuffed animal.
Step 5. Take the test by fire
This method will cause you to lose a small piece of real or fake fur. Tear off two or three hairs, place them on a non-flammable surface, such as a ceramic plate, then bring a lighted match close to the hairs. If it is real fur it will wrinkle and emit a smell similar to that of burnt hair. If it's faux fur, it will smell like burnt plastic and will wrinkle, forming small hard spots.
Step 6. Thread a needle into the garment, going through the pile and fabric
If the needle passes easily through the fabric, it is most likely faux fur, with a synthetic fabric base. If, on the other hand, it is difficult to pass it, or impossible, it could be real fur, because the needle would have to go through the skin to which the fur remains attached.
Step 7. Check the interior lining
If you can see the inside of the garment, under the lining, or you can open a piece of it, look or touch the fabric to see if it is leather, in the case of real fur, or if it is a synthetic mesh, in the case of fur. ecological. You can also see the fabric to which the fur is attached by separating two strands of fur.
Step 8. Be careful, it is not always that easy to distinguish the two materials, unless you are very knowledgeable
Even a famous animal rights actress like Kate Winslet found herself, in spite of herself, posing for a magazine with an expensive fox blanket, without realizing it. If someone tells you that the item you are holding is not real fur, they may be deceiving you.
Advice
- Note that the fur inserts on jackets, gloves, boots and cardigans are almost always made from real fur.
- High-quality faux fur is difficult to distinguish from real fur. Many designers have switched to synthetic, mainly because consumers are increasing sensitivity towards the treatment of animals that must become clothing.
- It is difficult to distinguish the two types of hair if the garments are of high quality. It is not enough to look and touch. Real fur is often colored to look fake, while eco-friendly fur can seem real to the touch. Unfortunately, there are manufacturers who sell items without indicating on the label that the fur is real, due to the growing sensitivity of consumers on this issue.
- Faux fur is easier to maintain than real fur.
- If it has a dazzling color like electric green it is most likely synthetic.
