Fur Wholesaler Visit

[JGalanos]

I visited a fur wholesaler recently. I was told their furs are designed at their corporate office but almost all of the furs are produced in Asia. They told me they service ~150 furriers across the country and during the season ship 100 - 150 coats per day from their substantial inventory. While primarily a wholesaler, they do sell to individuals. I was shown a nice men's 3/4 length ranch mink jacket priced at ~$3700. They told me that based upon their experience, a typical retailer would mark the jacket up to ~$17,000 and then start "discounting" it. I could tell that they thought this practice was ridiculous (as do I!).

[samurman]

We want more detail! We want all the juicy parts... Did you only visit the office, or see their warehouse full of furs? How about the designs and the designers? Did you see sketches or drawings on the walls? Do they use computers to design fur coats? Are they located in the midwest? How are their relations with the New York fur district?

 

So many questions! You are definitely at the center of my attention. Please, more detail!

[JGalanos]

The furrier was located in a multi-story downtown building in the Midwest. The main office was on the ground floor. Their inventory of ~8,000 furs was stored on the upper floors of the building. I saw some but certainly not all of their vast inventory. The owner told me they designed and created "sample" furs the old fashioned way right there and took them to shows around the country to gauge interest in the designs and take orders. "Winning" designs are then made by contract manufacturers in Asia and shipped to their warehouse from which they service furriers coast to coast. If you go into a furrier and find a coat you like but it's a size 12 and you need a 6 and they tell you they can have one for you in a few days ... This wholesaler, one of the largest in the country, might be the one filling the order. There were fur posters and fur and fashion books all over the office. Overall, an interesting visit.

[samurman]

Very interesting. I wonder how many expert hands they were employing at the design stage and how they ensure the quality of garments produced in Asia. We often hear here that being a furrier takes a very long time and it is one of the true crafts, where there are a lot of little secrets gathered through generations of experience and expertise in the fur business and transferred from master to apprentice. I wonder what they were doing in order to preserve this largely oral body of wisdom...