With technology and innovation in the fashion industry, sometimes it is now much harder to tell whether something is real or not as some materials now can be mimicked with efficiency and precision. From gold to silk to fur, sometimes it’s not that easy to tell anymore if what you’re looking at is the real deal, and especially women fur coats and men fur coats. Fortunately for fur, there are actually ways on how you can tell if a fur coat has real fur. The difference between real fur and fake (faux) fur is that the real former is made from real animal fur, while the latter is made to look real using synthetic materials. Real fur is much more expensive than faux fur and much harder to find these days. A lot of brands have also stopped producing real fur and have resorted to faux ones instead. Whether you inherited a coat or found something in a vintage shop, here are some tips on how you can determine if your piece has real or faux fur.
You can feel it if it is real or faux
One of the best and easiest ways to know if the fur is real or not is to simply touch it. The way real fur feels is totally different from faux fur. When you touch real fur, you will feel that it is soft and smooth to touch. Another test is that you can run your fingers through the material, with the same gesture as when you clean and rehydrate your fur. When it comes to faux fur, the case is different. You will feel that faux fur is not as smooth and you can feel that the material is artificial to touch. This is the reason why fur is more expensive than faux fur—not only is the material much more comfortable to wear because of its softer texture but it is also made from quality materials that are made to last for a very long time.
The burn test
While we don’t advise playing with fire, they say one of the ways to also know if the fur is real is to burn a few strands. To do it properly, simply take a few strands from the piece and place them somewhere safe. If you burn it, real fur would burn slowly and blacken. It will also leave a particular smell, especially with mink fur coats, which is the scent of real hair burning. If it is faux fur, it will burn fast and it will leave the scent of plastic that has been burnt.
Push the pin
There are of course much easier and safer ways to see if a fur is real or faux. One of the more convenient options is doing the pin test. All you have to do is find a pin and try to push it onto the piece you are trying to test. The lining will say if this is real fur or faux fur because the former will have a leather or tougher base, but the latter will have a softer base which makes pushing a pin through much easier.
Labels can give you the clue
If you want to know if the fur is also real, you can also check the brand and the labels on the coat. Some brands are known to have produced and released fur collections at some point—inform yourself and do some research on whether the piece is accurate and authentic. Another label to look for is the inside label. The inside label usually lists down the materials used for the particular product alongside ways how to properly take care of the piece.
Here are some of our best fur coats :
- Men's Sable Fur Jacket exclusive Barguzin sable
- Men's Leather Coat Python luxury
- Chinchilla Fur poncho Luxury