What is faux fur?
Faux fur also called fake fur is a pile fabric engineered to have a warmth (insulative property) and appearance as animal fur. Man-made textile material fashioned to resemble real animal fur. It is typically used in clothing, coats, accessories, and home furnishings. Generally in the past obtained from animals through trapping or farming. Fake fur is knitted with materials such as modacrylic, nylon, or polyester. and designed to feel and appearance of natural fur.
Faux is a French word having an alternative word fake. Faux means something more valuable or Imitation and fur means animal hair. First introduced in 1929, made of hair from the alpaca (South American alpaca). In year 1950s alpaca hair was replaced with acrylic polymer which led to the introduction of synthetic fur.
Uses
Fake fur is used in all applications where real fur would be used. There are numerous uses as faux fur coat or fake fur coat, faux fur vest, faux fur blanket, faux fur jacket, faux fur throw, faux fur shawl, faux fur rug, faux fur boots, faux fur throw blanket, faux fur fabric or fake fur fabric, faux fur comforter, faux fur wrap, faux fur slippers, faux fur hat, faux fur pillow, faux fur comforter, white faux fur coat, faux fur trim.
It can be easy to sew on a swing machine where real fur is thicker and needs special machines to sew. Fake fur is increasingly popularly used in the fashion mainstream. It is versatility and ethical appeal have made it popular in many industries, allowing one to enjoy the feel of real fur without any ethical concerns.
These are just a few examples of the many ways can be used. Its versatility and ethical appeal have made it a popular choice in various industries, allowing consumers to enjoy the look and feel of fur without the ethical concerns associated with using real animal fur.
The future faux fur vs real fur
There are many reasons why it is liked and preferred over real fur:
Ethical concerns
Ethical concerns about harm to animals for fur eliminate the need, to address ethical concerns related to animals.
Environmental impact
Environmental Impact is more for faux fur, as it is less biodegradable due to various petroleum-based resources used in the production of synthetic material. Faux fur needs 500 to 1000 years to break down. However, on the other side, it has less environmental impact compared to real fur, which involves various processes such as raising and slaughtering the animals.
Durability, versatility, and energy consumption
Faux fur is more versatile in terms of a wide range of designs in various colors and patterns. Also less durable as lesser insulating properties against its use. About 60% less energy consumption than real fur.
Faux fur pricing
Making it accessible to a broader range of consumers it is often more affordable than genuine fur. Also, the price spectrum for luxury faux fur is as low as $110 and as high as $9100 in the market. In other words for real fur starting price is $2200 approximately.
Sewing, maintenance, and storage
It is easier to sew with normal machines than real fur as it requires a special machine for the sewing process due to hard skin. Also, it is generally easier to care for than real fur, as for general fabric, it can often be machine-washed or dry-cleaned. Real fur needs to be stored in a cold environment to prevent deterioration, however, fake fur does not need such an environment. Like other fabrics, it should be stored away from sunlight, humidity, and heat, in a garment bag to maintain its quality.
Raw material
It is made with a variety of materials, fibers are made of polymer, including modacrylics, acrylics, or some blends of these polymers. Acrylic fibers are particularly useful for faux furs because they can be easily dyed like real fur in colors and are naturally fire-retardant. Modacrylic has other characteristics such as lightweight, highly resistant to heat, are strong, resilient, sunlight, and giving a fluffy quality to the garment. Also, shows good stability during laundering. Since they can be heat set, as they are thermoplastic polymers, very low moisture absorbency, and will dry quickly.
Naturally occurring some other fibers are also used to make faux furs and improve over look and feel of garment fabric. These include materials such as wool, silk, and mohair. Cotton or wool blended with polypropylene(called PP) is used after fiber blending to make a base to which fiber is attached. Rayan and cotton linter are used to supplement toping fibers. Also, other fiber used is Polyester and Nylon. Silicones and various resins are used to improve the smoothness and luster of fake furs.
Producing the fur
Four methods are used.
- Weaving
- Tufting
- Circular knitting
- Sliver knitting
The backing design is made out of cotton or wool, through the most basic method is the weaving process. It is the process in which fibers are looped thoroughly and interlaced (weft and wrap) with the backing fabric. While this technique has very little production but can produce a large number of shapes or designs. Another method used for fake fur is tufting. It is the same as of weaving but the production rates are much higher. Other methods are circular knitting and sliver knitting for garment production. Sliver knitting is almost the same as circular jersey knitting machines. Also, this technique is one of the most used for fake fur production.
Finishing touch
It is treated in various ways as
Heat setting
To ensure that fake fur remains unchanged fabric is preheated preshrinks in length and increases the diameter of pile fibers. It will improve the stability of the fabric. If the fabric is made from a cut loop then it must be napped to cut loops before heat set.
Tigering and shearing
The next step is to remove loose fibers from the fabric, wire brushes are used through the fabric this process is called tigering. Also, rough shearing of fibers by cutting helical knives gives them uniform length.
Electrifying
The luster of fabric can be increased through a technique known as electrifying. For this, a polishing technique is used, a combing drum or cylinder with grooved in both directions with fabric heated to get luster.
Application of chemicals
To improve the feel and look of the fiber some chemical treatments such as resins (depending upon the pile fiber) and silicones are applied. Coloring to simulate specific animal imitation fur at this stage.
Electrifying II
Another cycle of electrifying can be done to improve luster to achieve a finishing feel in the final fabric.
Finish shearing
At this stage removal of remaining loose fibers are removed.
Embossing
On some faux fur such furs as karakul, Persian lamb, or broadtail, embossing to of simulate curls can also be done at this stage. Also, the fabric is processed through an offset and swirling machine (rows of narrow rotary wire brushes) which deforms the layer of fibers. Cause variation in light reflection. Lastly, this fabric is passed under a heated embossing steel drum that cuts the resembling natural curls to imitate.
Labeling and quality control
After fake fur production is labeled as required by law, for imitation fur fabric. It is sewn inside the garment and must remain throughout the life of the product. So, in the final stage garment is made according to their appropriate requirement. Quality control testing is done at each stage of production, from incoming raw material and continues with the finished fabric. Some fiber characteristics that are tested at the fiber stage are PH, appearance, density, melting point, fiber elasticity, resilience, and absorbency.
At the garment stage samples are tested as per requirement sewing quality, fabric strength, size, shape shrinkage, pilling, snagging, and wear. A government standard called L-22 is also adopted voluntarily.
Cutting and sewing instruction
- Lay out the faux fur coat, or any desired garment.
- Find the right side for fabric first and notice in which direction its fur naturally falls
- Lay the marking on the back side of the fur. Draw a pattern of lines to cut. Use a single layer to cut easily
- Cut the backing with a scissor or craft razor.
- Pull all loose fiber comb the fur
- sew the fur according to design or pattern as of a normal garment.
- Comb the sewn seam to remove the extra fibers.
Wash care instructions
If you have invested in a costly faux fur coat, or any other you will keep it at your best for a longer period. It requires a little bit more care than ordinary garments. You should clean at least once your fur at the end of the season.
Both hand wash and machine wash are suitable but dry cleaning or sponge cleaning is the best for fake fur. So, must always follow the wash instructions on the label. Here are instruction table below:
| How to wash faux fur coats and trim | |
|---|---|
| Detergent | Mild (soft) |
| Water temperature | Cool water |
| Cycle type | Gentle to low-speed spin, if machine wash at all |
| Drying cycle type | Air-dry only, if a dryer is used at all |
| Special treatments | Hand-washing is preferable and perfect |
| Iron settings | Don’t iron |
| How often to wash | Once per season or as-needed when soiled |
