The debate of whether someone should wear a genuine fur coat or not is a long one and one that we want to avoid in this post. This post is geared to serve both fur lovers and people who prefer wearing faux fur. If you are someone who is looking to buy real fur coats, you can use the advice to spot the ones that are fake. Similarly, if you are someone who does not want to wear fur, you can apply the same principles to check if your faux fur garments contain real animal fur.
Back when faux fur was new, it was pretty easy for anyone to spot the difference. Faux fur had a distinctively coarse feel and their fibers looked unnatural. Nowadays, the difference between faux fur coats and genuine men’s fur coats is slim. This is all thanks to the improvement of the texture quality of faux fur, which makes spotting a real fur coat slightly challenging.
Forget the Label, Check the Price
There are unscrupulous sellers on both sides. Unethical businesses try and sell fake fur to people who want to buy the real thing. Other brands try and sneak in real fur materials in garments labelled as faux fur. Therefore, it’s never a good idea to presume the label is accurate. A better indicator is the price. Real fur is significantly more expensive than faux fur. While a faux fur coat costs a few hundred dollars a genuine fur coat can cost thousands.
The Flame Test
If you have the heart to pull out a couple of fibers, then you can easily tell the difference by conducting a flame or heat test. Real fur fibers give out a burnt-hair smell when subjected to extreme heat. Faux fibers are made from plastic and they thus melt and give out a chemical smell.
Check the Tips of the Fur Fibers
Real fur fibers have tapered tips. Much like a needle, they have fibers that are thick at the bottom and thin at the top. Faux fur fibers have a uniform shape and they usually do not have tapered tips.
Avoid Predicting by Color and Feel
Don’t assume the coat is made from faux fur or real fur just by their color or feel. Some faux fur coats have colors that look incredibly natural. They often have two-toned fibers and a layer of short undercoat to make the finished product look more genuine. On the flip side of the coin, a lot of real fur coats are dyed and they may look unnatural. You can find bright violet or even green coats that are actually made from real animal fur.
Check the Backing Material
If you can spread the fibers and check the backing material, then this might help you differentiate between faux and real fur. Faux fur coats usually have stretchable cotton or synthetic backing. Real fur, on the other hand, have leather backing that’s tough to pierce and is not as stretchy.