Eco friendly fur

[ReFur]

I found this site today. Love the fur. If you ever had a chance to see it or feel it you would be surprised!

 

http://eco-luxuryfur.com/

[Lil Dragonfly]

More places that sell NZ possum:

 

http://www.possumnz.com/

 

http://www.glenorchyfur.co.nz/index.htm

 

http://www.fursmiths.co.nz/Services.html

 

http://www.dawsonfurs.co.nz/product.html

[elbas3175]

Which fur type would you say it most closely resembles? Mink, sable, sheared beaver, rex rabbit, or something else?

 

Linda, have you actually been to NZ and seen this fur?

 

They don't seem to be big on making coats from this fur - it's mostly accessories and throws. But I guess one could buy a load of pelts from them and ask a local furrier to put something together.

[ReFur]

I have not been to New Zealand., unfortunately.

 

I had a fur store for about 5 years and an eBay store for 3. So, I saw about every kind of fur possible. It is actually how I found the Fur Den. I am not a furrier in the true definition, though.

 

Seems strange to realize many of you do not my story. It has been several years since I found the site. I use to remember May. Guess I had better add the year.

 

Back to the real issue: The fur. Many coats are available and can be found on eBay. Because of the preconceived notions of what the animal is, many times it will not say the name. To have one custom made would probably not be a good investment.

 

OFF can tell of his experience with the fur in lining jackets. You will find many high-end leather manufactures use this fur dyed black or baron in removable linings, especially for men. Very nice! Fur is usually 1.5 inches maybe, very soft and dense, with a silky, sometimes slight sheen to it.

 

The kind used is called woolly opossum. I would explain the fur as a "kinky" feeling cashmere type wool. Sheared coyote or fox looks very similar - but, only saw that fur treatment used a few times. It makes incredibly warm socks, scarves, blankets, etc. As it gets older it does not feel as soft, as with all things.

 

I especially love a version that is natural (not dyed) and is various shades of gray, white and taupes. Another feature about the fur I love is the warmth does not come from weight. It also is much more affordable than many furs. And, good for the environment. New Zealand use to have a bounty on them, a terrible destructive animal to their environment. I know we have a lot of information on the site about it. I am not sure if it was on the eBay forum though. (Check out the Library wiki we have, there is a ton of information for you.)

 

I know there are many of our experienced fur members who can explain more. I am going to copy this thread to the Furriers Forum since the topic has expanded into more useful information.

[Guest]

You can get the black dyed 'vests', actually linings to a jacket gone lost quite cheaply on eBay.

 

I use one for sitting at the computer sometimes.

 

The fur is actually wooly in texture, though vbery soft. I have several others in gray and brown.

 

Opossum is a great starter fur and you can sometimes find an Andrew Mark Opossum lined leather jacket on eBay. This is a standard item for them.

 

I've been so spoiled now with Sheared Beaver, Lynx, Blackglama Mink and Crystal Fox as jacket linings I don't think I would be happy with a possum lined jacket now though. You can see these in Et Cetera in The Gallery.

 

OFF

[Cunning Fox]

My wife and I have a possum coat (the only fur we own) and it is fantastic! Its underhairs are springy giving the coat volume and yet it is still soft and a delight to the touch. It is certinally not as heavy as you might think looking at it but it is amazingly warm. Another great factor of this fur is its durability our coat is probably about 25 to 30 years old (we came by it second hand - trademe.co.nz is excelent for bargains) and yet there is no sign of sheading.

 

Did we mention the environment? Possums in N.Z. are an absolute pest, destroying native bush thus destroying the homes to our native bird life. It seams rather ironic that one of our greatest pests comes from Australia (from a northern hemisphere point of view, if you're English think French, anyone else in Europe think English, if you're Canadian think U.S and if you're American think "where are these other places") where it is a protected species although it is lothed by many as the possum invades homes on the outskirts of cities and in small towns yet the owners are not able to do anything about them.

 

Please take my advice, get yourself some possum this winter you will not be disappointed! (and we'll be less a few more of these destructive critters.)

[ReFur]

Cunning Fox,

 

I had read once the animal came from bredders who turned them loose after a sharp downturn in the fur market at one time.

 

Forget the number of acres they destroy every day. Was unbelievble! Will see if I can find the article.

 

Linda

[Guest]

Linda is correct about the possum fur making incredibly warm socks. I used to own a pair and they kept my feet toasty warm. The socks were made of 50% merino, 40% possum, and 10% nylon. The possum fur is plucked from the pelt and combined with merino wool to make into yarn.

 

The possums are known officially as the brush-tailed possum. They are native to Australia, but were introduced to New Zealand for fur breeding purposes. Now, they eat incredible amounts of New Zealand forest greenery every night and also prey on the eggs and chicks of native birds.

 

 

Tricia