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How much does a real fur coat cost?

Real fur has amazing warming qualities, but fur coats are valued also for their beauty. Even two centuries ago, fur coats were valued not just as winter clothing, but as a luxury item that emphasizes high status. At all times, as now, a real fur coat cost remains quite high. And it’s still hard to guess how much does a real fur coat cost.

The skin used in a fur coat is one of the factors that affects the price of a fur coat. What is most interesting, with the same seemingly parameters, one model will cost more than another if in the first was used a more elite and popular type of fur. Apart from the fur, there are a few more factors that influence the price of a real fur coat. Most of these are not obvious like the type of fur or the special color of it. This is why it’s hard to say how much does a real fur coat cost. Getting to know all the factors that affect the final price of a real fur coat, will help you understand why real fur coats are not cheap and why to avoid a garment with a suspiciously low price.

Sable fur or, as it is called, “soft gold” is one of the most expensive in the world. And the most valuable is the Barguzin sable with a chocolate shade and an underfur that shimmers in blue. How much do you think a good sable fur coat costs? The most expensive sable garment was sold at auction for 260,000 euros. The lucky owner of such a fur coat chose to remain anonymous.

5 factors that affect a real fur coat cost

There are 5 main factors that determine a real fur coat cost. Before you get to know how much does a mink coat costs for example, let’s agree that a real fur garment simply cannot be cheap. No matter what they tell you, it is common sense that a long mink coat cannot, even at a sale, cost $ 500. And this is why:

 

1. Factors that affect a real fur coat cost – The cost of raw materials at auctions

 

The inspiration for all fur masterpieces comes with the beginning of fur auctions, where more than 90% of the world’s fur (raw material) is sold. And it is precisely at this time of the year that the value of a fur garment is formed, since the final price of the product depends on the quantity of one or more types of fur used to form a specific fur model.

The peak month for auctions is February, when craftsmen have the opportunity to choose and buy the best raw material directly from groups of fur farmers and furriers from around the world. Worldwide auctions are held in the USA, Russia, Finland, Canada and Denmark. It is easy to guess that the cost of future collections directly depends on the furs presented at auctions. That is, if lynx fur was rare at auctions this season, then the cost of products from this fur will be high.

 

2. Factors that affect a real fur coat cost – Quantity of raw material used in one garment

 

The second factor affecting the final price of a real fur coat is the quantity of skins used in one garment. Here, everything is simple – the more skins you need for tailoring the product, the more expensive it will be. That is why the most chic option is a clasic maxi-length fur coat.

And here you can understand, for example, how much a good marten fur coat costs. If it is a model of size 46, floor length, then its cost can be compared with a short arctic fox fur of size 38. It’s all about the number of skins used, as well as the size. Indeed, for sewing size 46-50, you need more fur than for making a short model for delicate women.

The presence of a hood or a voluminous collar also affects the cost of a fur coat. Depending on the size and the features of the cut, the difference between a model with and without a hood ora collar can vary between 300-800 euros.

 

3. Factors that affect a real fur coat cost – Quality of manufacture

 

This factor is concidered as one of the most decisive, since the professional processing of the fur is “speaking” of its quality and, therefore, cost. What should a well-crafted product look like?

• Fur is dense and thick enough but, at the same time, it’s distinguished by tenderness and extraordinary softness.
• The seams of the garment will be neat, without creases and nothing will stick out or puff up.
• All seams and stitching is thin, even and invisible. There shouldn’t be hair caught in the seams and they should run parallel and be equal in size and length.

Greek furriers are the most famous craftsmen, and their work is appreciated throughout the world. If you visit a Greek fur boutique, don’t be surprised if the staff fearlessly starts to rumple a fur garment, tries to pull off fur hair or even tramples it underfoot. None of these should cause any harm to a fur garment, if it’s of high quality material and manufacture.

How to understand that the processing of a fur coat is done poorly? Easy – if the pile crumbles, it means the pelt was too stretched and the density of the fur decreased. If the pelt feels thick and rough to the touch, most likely, the skin of an old animal was chosen. Therefore, a fur coat will not last long and will quickly lose its beauty.

One of the most elite fur coat collections belongs to Jennifer Lopez. In the wardrobe of the star there are models from sable, arctic fox, lynx. Jennifer shines in fur coats not only on red carpet, but also in everyday life. How much does a lynx fur coat cost from a star’s wardrobe? Experts say that Lopez does not even consider fur coats worth less than 20,000 euros.

 

4. Factors that affect a real fur coat cost – Fur type and style

 

Most people will choose the type of fur, based on their personal preferences and aims. The cost depends on the type of fur as well as the style of the garment – since it can be either short or a model below the middle of the thigh. Based on the type of fur, you can conditionally divide all furs into two categories:

• Elite fur garments – This category includes sable and lynx fur, as well as ermine.
• Affordable fur garments – This category includes mink, fox and marten fur. Based on the type of fur, you can figure out the value of the fur coat itself.

 

5. Factors that affect a real fur coat cost – Fur color and shade

 

It seems that the fur color shouldn’t have a significant impact on the cost of the product, since fur coats can even be yellow, blue or green. But the color of the skin is significant. Using the example of a mink, let’s see how much a good Blackglama fur coat costs, as well as models of different shades.

• Brown shades are considered the most affordable and popular. But there is an exception –  a brown shade called “mahogany”, which is considere as the most elite.
• The “black diamond” refers to the middle segment – the fur of this shade will have a color closer to black. Fur shades of “sapphire”, “pastel” and “pearl” color can also be attributed to this.
• But the most elite fur is Blackglama and Black NAFA, from which short-haired products are sewn. A fur coat from this luxury fur can cost as much as 5,000, if we talk about a short model, and even up to 50,000 euros.

So, a fur coat familiar to many with a deep chocolate shade (mahogany) can be expensive, and a restrained pastel color product will be cheaper than a black mink.

Fur sewing and formation methods

The fur sewing and formation methods are also essential. When you know the sewing and formation technology, you can make a safer cost estimation. The most inexpensive option is a pieced fur – a fur garment created from smaller pieces to make one solid whole. The most classic and expensive is the full-pelt or whole-cut method, when several pelts are combined into one whole canvas. The model sewn by the “letting out” method will be expensive as well. But the technique of “sculptured fur” is the most impressive one and also the most difficult to accomplish. In this technique many small but detailed pieces of fur are sewn by to create the ever popular sculptured look. And, by the way, it is the Greek furriers who came up with this fur sewing method and are still considered as the leaders in this technique.

The cost of the final product will be affected by the inserts of other fur types, leather or natural suede. Knowing the factors that affect a real fur coat cost, you can safely choose the model that will meet your needs.

Keep on reading – “How to choose the proper fur coat size“