Introduction to Fashion Chapter 6 Text lecture

Part Two The Primary Levelcontinues with the Materials of Fashion in Chapter Six Chapter Six Slide 3 Leather and Fur This picture is from the Gucci Fall 2011 show. Here you see reptile, fur, and feathers all used together in one outfit. The content of the hat is likely wool. Slide 4 Key Concepts When you think about leather and fur it may bring to mind different things: A strong anti- leather/ fur reaction Thoughts of high fashion and glamour Or something in between You will be sharing your feelings on this weeks discussion board. The picture on the slide is from the Hong Kong International Fur & Fashion show. Humans have been wearing animal skins and fur since prehistoric times. The Egyptians believed that wearing an animals fur could confer upon the wearer the power of the animal. The priests would wear leopard skin to have the attributes of that animal.

Here is what we will cover: The three major types of companies in the leather industry and their functions The nine different categories of leather and the special finishes used on leather The history and development of the fur industry in the United States The functions of the three major groups in the fur industry The steps in transforming fur pelts into finished garments Slide 5 The Leather Industry

The runway photo in the slide is by Italian designer Roberto Cavalli. It is an interesting variation on the 3 piece suit. : ) The leather industry gets much of the skins and hides from the meatpacking industry. The animals are raised as food for people and the skins and hides are sold to the leather industry. Transforming the skins into the leather end product takes time so the manufacturers in this industry work over a year in advance of the delivery to designers of apparel and accessories. They are leaders in the color and texture trend setting for this reason. Other areas of the fashion business look to follow their lead. Categories of Leather The Equine Group Provides rugged leather used for shoes, belts, jackets, and furniture. You will see the term cordovan leather. The Exotic Leathers Are very expensive due to diminished supplies. The American alligator which had been placed on the endangered species list is out of danger due to sustainable use. Sustainable use is an environmental program that encourages land owners to preserve the alligator habitats in exchange for the right to use a percentage of the adult skins.
Slide 6 This slide shows cordovan leather on the left and exotic leathers on the right. Can you tell the difference between alligator and crocodile? Slide 7

Leather Processing Pelts are divided into 3 classes which are based on weight 1. Skins are 15 pounds or less 2. Kips 15-25 pounds 3. Hides which weigh more than 25 pounds Tanning Methods Process for transforming animal pelts into leather. This is the oldest known craft. Chrome salts are used for 2/3 of the leather processed in U.S. and it takes hours. If you look at the cut edge of leather that has been processed this way you will see a pale, blue-gray color in the center of the cut edge Vegetable tanning uses tannic acid that occurs naturally in bark, wood, nuts and tea leaves. This process is much more labor intensive and produces a dark center streak at the cut edge. Finishing It is the finishing that gives the leather the desired visual appeal. Besides the 500 different colors that it can be dyed it can be sponged, stenciled, sprayed or even tie dyed. Finishes include metallic, pearl, matte, patent (that is the super shiny finish) luster and suede. Although it looks different than leather suede is a finish and not a kind of leather.

The process flow chart comes from Eagle Ottawa Leather Company and will give you an idea of how involved this process is. http://www.sbfoot.com/history.html This is a website of a leather company ~ not required reading but may be of interest. The process button has a brief explanation of how they handle the skins. The picture of the hanging skins comes from their website. Slides 8-9 Shows the same chart you have in your text with the categories of leather and the end products. Until you study this you probably didnt even consider all the different sources of leather. Slide 10 Merchandising and Marketing Fashion Information Services Because they work so far in advance of delivery of fashion merchandise to the customer it is very important that they track the trends and forecast them accurately. Not only do they gather information for their use they share it with retailers, manufacturers and the press. They produce booklets and presentations about the upcoming colors and textures. Trade Associations and Trade Shows Leather Industries of America LIA is a trade association that provides a variety of services to its members Government Representation to promote leather exports and remove trade restrictions Environmental Regulation to develop environmental regulations Leather Research Laboratory - technical and consulting services

Members include: any American business that tans, finishes, manufactures or sells leather as well as hide brokers, consultants, chemical suppliers and equipment and leather product manufacturers. Membership is also available to foreign companies. Trade shows are held in Italy, China, India, Hong Kong and the US. Research and Development As with all fashion we are always looking for what is new that will catch the consumer s eye and make them want to buy. Leather is no exception. The industry had greatly increased the colors and types of leather available since World War II when few colors and types were available. The slide photo of a trade show booth for Townsend Leather designed, built, installed, and dismantled by Empire Exhibits, this bright, colorful, classy 20 x 20 trade show exhibit catches the attention of the public with the dramatic hanging 900lb leather chandelier. Slide 11 Our slide picture is designer Ralph Lauren who often combines an American west or prairie look with other motifs.

The variety of available weights and textures allow for clothing of every type to be made from leather not just bags, belts and shoes. Trends in the Leather Industry 1. Enlarging Markets are a result of leathers with more fashion characteristics. Leather is more pliable and supple, can be dyed in more colors and can even be made washable. This makes it a viable choice for more fashion items 2. Increased Competition from Synthetics as they become more leather like in appearance and performance they are more popular.

This is a picture of Ultrasuede a washable synthetic. The picture below is designer Halston with models wearing one of his favored fabrics Ultrasuede.

http://www.halstonmovie.com/ Click on the link to see an advertisement for the non-current movie. 3. Industry Growth Factors We are seeing a trend toward classic elegant looks and people are looking for quality. For some this means that they want real leather and not a substitute. Supply and demand is a basic premise of business and currently there is sufficient supply to meet demand for leather materials.

Slide 12 The Fur Industry History and Development You could say that it started with prehistoric people who used it to cover floors and walls of caves as well as their bodies. Some people are still dressing up their caves with fur.

Vanessa Trainas NYC apartment as featured in Vogue Fur can also show a wearers wealth and status as it did in the Middle Ages with marten, ermine, fox and sable being favored by nobility.

Furs have also been used in trading, in Northern Europe furs being more valuable than gold and silver for a time. In the United States fur trade was very important as it: Played an important part in the establishment of cities including St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, St Paul and Spokane Was a source of clothing and furnishings

Allowed the colonist to sell the furs and use the money to purchase European necessities and luxuries We are very familiar with the Gold Rush especially living here but did you know there was also fur rush which was settlers pushing westward in the U.S. in search of beaver fur? John Jacob Astor made his first million in the beaver fur trade. Fashions in fur change just like regular fashion. The popularity of one type of fur may shift to another with mink being a long time favorite. Sometimes it is the natural colored furs which are popular and other times dyed fur is more in vogue. Animal Rights Groups PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Friends of Animals
Protests over the wearing of fur have gone on for over 30 years. In addition to the two listed above there is the Animal Liberation Front which have released animals from farms and destroyed pedigree cards. As with any disagreement there are 2 sides and you will be discussing this on the discussion board this week. The fur industry in the U.S. and Canada along with the International Standards Organization is working on global humane trapping standards.

Manufactured Furs refer to synthetic or fake furs. You may also hear them referred to as faux (pronounced foe) fur using the French word for fake. Most fake furs are created on knit background. Fake furs can be made to look very realistic or they can look very unreal. You can hand wash or dry clean as the instructions indicate but you never want to touch the fur with an iron as it can melt the fur. Slides 13-15 Popular furs and their characteristics. The 3 slides of charts are also in your book on pages 136-37. Keep in mind these are the natural characteristics of the fur. Fur may be sheared, trimmed into patterns, printed and dyed. If a new treatment of fur causes excitement it may boost interest and hence sales. Slide 16 Organization and Operation Pelt Production Pelts are the skin of the animal. Wild animal pelts have to be taken during the cold months in order to have the best quality. Fur bearing animals may shed their heavy winter coat during warmer weather. Farm or ranch raised fur are the source for the majority of fur and these animals are raised for their fur. Advantages to the raised or ranched: They are bred and raised under controlled conditions. They can be selective bred rather than relying on natural selection. Fur Auctions are where the trappers, farmers and ranchers sell their pelts. Believe it or not they have been doing this since the 13th century! Bundle is the unit of sale for pelts. The term top bundle describes the high

quality bundle of fur pelts which are matched in quality and color. Auctions for North American furs are held in New York, Seattle, Toronto, and North Bay Canada. Fur Processing Fur processing is done by fur dressing and fur-dyeing firms. The fur dressers make the pelts ready to be made into products softening the pelts and scraping off anything unwanted from the inside. Much like leather they are treated to soften them. This portion of the process has become more mechanized. Fur Manufacturing is the part of the industry that makes the fur products https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvL0W16YGOU This video shows you just the visuals of the creation of a coat set to music with no spoken descriptions. Steps include: 1. Design is sketched 2. Paper pattern made (For those of you that sew you will notice that it is not the tissue paper that commercial patterns are made with but hard paper.) 3. Canvas pattern in made 4. Skins are cut to conform to the designers sketch, show the fur off to its best advantage with minimal waste 5. Cut skins are sewn together 6. Skins are wetted and allowed to dry stapled to a board~ this sets them permanently 7. The garment sections are sewn together 8. The garment is lined and finished (Custom coats generally have the owners name or initials embroidered in the lining.) 9. The garment is inspected. For the high prices charged it needs to be perfection. The handling of the fur is complex and time consuming. Short pelts are let out a term which describes cut the fur into diagonal strips and sewing them back together- the goal being a longer pelt. Slide 17 Retail Distribution of Furs There are approximately 1,100 retailers and 100 fur manufacturers in the United States In retail stores, fur departments are either leased or consignment departments which allow them to offer variety without having a great deal of stock on hand. While it may be located within a store it is run by an independent company that pays a percentage of the in store sales to the store as rent. Slide 18 Merchandising and Marketing Trade Associations Work with retailers and work to counter the animal-rights arguments. Fur Information Council of America (FICA)

International Fur Fairs As with all fashion it has become a more global business. Labeling The Fur Products Labeling Act of 1952 requires that all furs be labeled with the following: 1. The English name of the animal 2. Its country of origin 3. The processing including any dyeing 4. Whether or not parts have been cut from a used garment or the paw or tail sections Slide 19 Trends in the Fur Industry Growth will be affected by four major trends: 1. Renewed fashion interest in furs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5k9rfshPy0 Fashion show which includes fur 2. Increased foreign trade 3. Restrictive legislation that actually helps the industry The Endangered Species Act of 1973of forbade the sale of endangered species. Some people have returned to wearing fur without the fear of wearing something which is endangered 4. New channels of retail distribution Large cities offer weekend sales in large venues with sales direct to customers for lower prices. Slide 20 Trade Talk be sure you can define all of these fur farming hide kip let out pelt PETA skins sustainable use tanning (Fendi red fox fur is the photo shown on your slide).