How to Identify Fake Fur
Identifying fake fur can be difficult because the market is flooded with cheaper, synthetic materials. Ideally, you should be able to rely upon how the garment in question is advertised, but some sellers know the difference can be hard to spot and use this to overcharge buyers. On the other hand, with the advancement of the anti-fur movement, many people will avoid real fur at all costs and must be able to ensure that their purchase is as animal-friendly as possible.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Check the label of the garment (generally found along the inside lapel or underarm) for the Fur Label Authority Tag. This label is required by the Federal Trade Commission for furs manufactured, sold or imported in the United States. However, this label is only used if the garment is of a certain dollar value and was made after 1951.
-
2
Examine underneath the lining of the garment, looking for the back of the "fur" itself. Find a place in the lining where you can feel or see the back of the material by opening up a seam with your scissors and feeling or looking around. Although there are exceptions, real fur backs look like leather and are usually sewn in strips or patchwork. Fake fur has a uniform, stitched pattern resembling knit work.
-
-
3
Rub the "hairs" between your fingers. Animal fur rolls easily and feels smooth, whereas fake fur feels coarse.
-
4
Use your scissors to clip off a few "hairs" from a less visible area of the garment. Light a match to the fibers and observe how they burn and smell. Synthetic fibers burn faster into a clump and smell like plastic. Real fur is harder to light, dissolves into ash and smells like burnt hair.
-
5
Stick your pin through the base of the fur. With fake fur, the pin will hardly resist and go straight through. The leather at the back of real fur will resist and make it difficult to push the pin through.
-
1
References
Comments
-
Joanie Palazzolo
Feb 03, 2011
I have a short fur coat, looks like lamb & sable collar. It has a tag inside "Fur Label Authority" with a code A898329? What does the code mean & where can I find the info.
