Fake fur, also called
fun fur or
faux fur, is any material made of
synthetic fiberSynthetic fibers are the result of extensive research by scientists to improve upon naturally occurring animal and plant fibers. In general, synthetic fibers are created by forcing, usually through extrusion, fiber forming materials through holes into the air, forming a thread...
s designed to resemble
furFur is a synonym for hair, used more commonly in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensive body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to...
, normally as part of a piece of
clothingA feature of nearly all modern human societies is the wearing of clothing or clothes, a category encompassing a wide variety of materials that cover the body....
. It was first introduced in 1929 and has been commercially available since the 1950s, but its increasing popularity has been credited to its promotion by
animal rightsAnimal rights, also referred to as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of humans...
and
animal welfareAnimal welfare, the health and well-being of animals, represents a systematic concern for people who believe that nonhuman animals are sentient beings that deserve consideration, respect, and care...
organizations which claim that it is an animal-friendly alternative to traditional
fur clothingFur clothing is clothing made entirely of, or partially of, the fur of animals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing, thought widely used as hominids first expanded outside of Africa. Some view fur as luxurious; others reject it due to animal welfare and ethical concerns...
.
Faux fur is not only used in clothing, but also for
stuffed animalA stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw, beans, plastic pellets, cotton, synthetic fibers, or other similar materials. Stuffed toys are also known as plush toys from plush, the outer material used, and soft toys or cuddly toys...
s,
fashion accessoryFashion accessories are decorative items that supplement one's garment, such as jewelry, gloves, handbags, hats, belts, scarves, watches, sunglasses, pins, stockings, bow tie, leg warmer, leggings, necktie, suspenders, and tights....
and home decorations like pillows.
Fake fur, also called
fun fur or
faux fur, is any material made of
synthetic fiberSynthetic fibers are the result of extensive research by scientists to improve upon naturally occurring animal and plant fibers. In general, synthetic fibers are created by forcing, usually through extrusion, fiber forming materials through holes into the air, forming a thread...
s designed to resemble
furFur is a synonym for hair, used more commonly in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensive body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to...
, normally as part of a piece of
clothingA feature of nearly all modern human societies is the wearing of clothing or clothes, a category encompassing a wide variety of materials that cover the body....
. It was first introduced in 1929 and has been commercially available since the 1950s, but its increasing popularity has been credited to its promotion by
animal rightsAnimal rights, also referred to as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of humans...
and
animal welfareAnimal welfare, the health and well-being of animals, represents a systematic concern for people who believe that nonhuman animals are sentient beings that deserve consideration, respect, and care...
organizations which claim that it is an animal-friendly alternative to traditional
fur clothingFur clothing is clothing made entirely of, or partially of, the fur of animals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing, thought widely used as hominids first expanded outside of Africa. Some view fur as luxurious; others reject it due to animal welfare and ethical concerns...
.
Usage
Faux fur is not only used in clothing, but also for
stuffed animalA stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw, beans, plastic pellets, cotton, synthetic fibers, or other similar materials. Stuffed toys are also known as plush toys from plush, the outer material used, and soft toys or cuddly toys...
s,
fashion accessoryFashion accessories are decorative items that supplement one's garment, such as jewelry, gloves, handbags, hats, belts, scarves, watches, sunglasses, pins, stockings, bow tie, leg warmer, leggings, necktie, suspenders, and tights....
and home decorations like pillows. It is also sometimes used for craft projects because it can be sewn on a
sewing machineA sewing machine is a textile machine used to stitch fabric or other material together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies...
. Real fur is generally thicker and requires a special machine, hand sewing or an awl to sew it. Lately, fake fur has been increasingly used in the main stream teen fashion, for example the stores Abercrombie and Fitch and
American EagleAmerican Eagle Outfitters is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1977 by Mark and Jerry Silverman as a subsidiary of Retail Ventures, Inc., a company which also owned and operated Silverman's Menswear. The Silvermans sold their...
use it for trapper hats and jackets. In the
SovietThe Soviet Armed Forces refers to the armed forces of the Russian SFSR , and Soviet Union from their beginnings in the aftermath of the Russian Civil War to its dissolution in December 1991....
, and now Russian Army,
fish furFish fur is a Russian language ironic expression used to describe poor quality of coats and other clothes worn for warmth. In modern times it is also used for fake fur, especially of poor quality...
is used as a slang term for the fake fur used on winter clothing and the ubiquitous
ushankaAn ushanka is a Russian fur cap with ear flaps that can be tied up to the crown of the cap, or tied at the chin to protect the ears, jaw and lower chin from the cold.The word Ushanka derives from ushi , "ears" in Russian....
hats. Similarly, fashion design labels such as
Ralph LaurenRalph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive. He is most notable for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
have promoted the use of fake fur in their collections.
Advantages
- The energy consumption for the production of one coat made out of fake fur was given with 120 MBtu
The British thermal unit is a traditional unit of energy. It is approximately the amount of energy needed to heat one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. One Btu is equal to about 1.06 kilojoules. It is used in the power, steam generation, heating and air conditioning industries...
in a study of the scientific research laboratory of the automobile manufacturer Ford in 1979, compared to 433 MBtu for trapped animals and 7,965 MBtu for animals raised in fur farmsFur farming is the practice of breeding or raising certain types of animals for their fur.The animal most commonly farmed for its fur is the mink. As of 2003, Denmark had the largest fur-farming industry of mink, with 35% of world production. Fur farming takes place mainly in Denmark, Finland,...
.
- The production of fake fur is cheaper than that of real fur of high quality.
- Fake fur and real fur may be equivalent in providing protection from cold, but since fake fur can be made in any thickness, fake fur garments can be constructed to be warmer than real fur..
- Fake fur does not require cold storage to prevent deterioration and is impervious to moths.
Disadvantages
- Fake fur is made from several materials including blends of acrylic and modacrylic polymers derived from coal, air, water petroleum and limestone.. Like other plastics, these materials do not break down easily, unlike real fur which will eventually dry out and begin to deteriorate.
- Fake fur, like real rabbit fur, may shed..
- Fake fur feels coarse and looks similar to fabric with neat rows.
- There are no fake furs that have been able to keep snow from melting and re-freezing on the fur's fibre filaments.