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How Fur Coats Are Made
by Andy Pasquesi
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Prepping the Pelt
To prepare the pelt for the fabrication process, the furrier sprays the fur with a small jet of pressurized steam from a hand-held gun. The rapidly traveling steam particles shoot below the surface of any matted fur and escape upwards, lifting fibers to give the fur fluffier volume. The furrier then puts the pelt between a special rolling machine that charges the surface of the fur with static electricity. This static charge keeps the fur fluffy for the next step.
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Evening Out the Fur
Most of the hairs in a pelt have different lengths. However, a pelt will most likely be combined with one or two others in making the final product. Therefore, the furrier passes every coat under several rows of clippers. These clippers are all set to the same height to ensure that every hair is cut to the same length.
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Grooving
Once the hairs are all the same length, the pelt is passed through a machine called a "groover." The groover makes minute, precise adjustments to the length of certain sections to create subtle patterns and give the uniform pelt a much richer texture.
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Letting Out
The pelt is placed fur-side down and fed into a machine that cuts it into thin parallel strips. The strips are then sewed back together in a staggered, gently overlapping pattern, similar to wood siding on a house. This gives the pelt a more "flowing look."
To flatten out the overlapping underneath, the pelt is again placed fur-side down while the furrier soaks the hide with water using a sponge. Once saturated, the furrier makes a 3-inch cut at the top and bottom of the pelt, stretching its rectangular shape into an "X." The pelt is then stapled to a special wood surface and allowed to dry for 24 hours.
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Cutting Out the Pattern
After the pelt has been dried and stretched, the pattern from the coat is traced onto the hide and cut out. Lamb's wool is then hand-sewn along the edges of the pieces to build the fur up against wear. Meanwhile, starched cotton tape is hand-stitched to the hem of the coat to keep the fur from stretching.
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Adding the Label
After dozens man-hours of skilled labor, the fur coat is fully assembled. For the finishing touch, the designer's label is hand-sewn into the silk lining.
Untreated Pelt
