(JP)Fur and leather--fake and real--come into own

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Fur and leather--fake and real--come into own

 

Kumi Matsumaru Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer

Nov 26, 2001

 

Staffers at the department store Printemps Ginza were

surprised by the number of customers who took the

opportunity in August to place advance orders of fake

fur coats and jackets.

 

" It used to be considered a good result if we secured

10 orders at that time of year, given the uniqueness

of the fashion item, " said Akiko Fujii, a spokeswoman

for the store's business planning section.

 

Yet, at the peak of this summer, the store, in the

heart of Ginza, Tokyo, received 100 orders. " The

figure was about five times greater than last year, "

Fujii said.

 

The department store invites people to order fake fur

items because they have traditionally been regarded as

one-offs. The advance orders help the store get an

idea of the demand for the upcoming season and reduce

inventory losses.

 

As shown by the response, however, fake fur clothes

and items are no longer considered out of the

ordinary.

 

Fur fashion accessories were popular items last

winter, including mufflers and tippets (removable fur

collars), which are said to have become popular after

fashion giant Prada introduced them in its

autumn/winter season for 2000-01 collection. However

the range was limited.

 

But this year, a wider range of accessories--made of

fake and real fur--is everywhere, Fujii said.

 

" Shoes with fur trimmings or pom-poms, for example,

are selling well, " Fujii said. " You can find fur

incorporated in almost any fashion accessory: hats,

rings, earrings--you name it. "

 

Fujii said Printemps Ginza customers were generally

younger than those who frequented other department

stores, which probably explained why jackets and coats

made of fake fur and priced at about 40,000 yen were

more popular than the more expensive genuine items.

She added that real fur is widely used for

accessories, which are available at reasonable prices.

 

 

Leather, both real and man-made, is also popular this

season, Fujii said. " It's difficult to find an apparel

maker (that deals with the department store) that

doesn't produce any items made of fur or leather. "

 

An industry paper on the textile industry for 2001,

released by the Yano Research Institute in November

last year, reported that last year the domestic

leather market expanded for the first time in a

decade. This year's figures are not yet available, but

the institute predicted much attention would be paid

to the extent of market growth.

 

===

 

Not just a winter favorite

 

Fashion sales have long suffered from the economic

slump.

 

Clothing sales make up the biggest component of

department store sales. In October, sales of clothing

at department stores in Tokyo's 23 wards fell 2.5

percent from the year before to 77.42 billion yen.

 

This raises the question of why leather and fur items

are faring so well in the poor economic climate.

Fashion journalist Yoshiko Takahashi said the hype

started in spring last year, when top fashion

designers included both fabrics in their 2000-2001

autumn/winter collections.

 

" Actually, fur began appearing in international

collections as far back as five or six years ago, "

Takahashi said. " But last season, all the designers

seem to have gone for it. "

 

Takahashi said the latest spring/summer collections

from famous designers showed that leather had become a

material for all seasons.

 

Recently, the affordability of synthetic fur and

leather has boosted the trend. " You have to spend a

lot if you want to buy real leather trousers, but that

isn't the case for fake leather items, " Takahashi

said.

 

Fujii agreed. " Affordability is a key point for our

store because the average age of our customers is low

compared with other major fashion department stores, "

she said.

 

Man-made materials are also popular because they are

easy to care for.

 

" That's why those materials are especially good for

skirts and trousers, which tend to get dirty easily

compared with other fashion items, " Takahashi said.

" You can just wipe away any marks. Cleaning costs are,

of course, much less than those for real leather

items. You also don't have to worry about rain or snow

when you wear man-made materials. "

 

Another benefit of man-made materials is that

designers can afford to experiment with new colors or

techniques, including patchwork, Fujii said. The high

cost of the real thing tends to prevent such

experimentation, she said.

 

Kuraray Co., which produces the synthetic leather

Clarino, said the material was getting closer to

matching the characteristics of real leather, but had

added benefits, such as being lightweight and durable.

 

 

Kazufumi Kambayashi, the head of the apparel and

upholstery material sales department at Kuraray's

Clarino division, said that from a manufacturer's

point of view, man-made materials ensure a stable

supply of quality materials, whereas the production of

natural materials can be affected by unpredictable

environmental and other conditions. Also, the

synthetic product can be produced in uniform sizes of

130 to 140 centimeters wide and 30 to 50 meters long,

to reduce waste.

 

Variety of designs

 

" In addition, you can experiment with a wider variety

of designs with the man-made materials because you

don't necessarily have to sew them, as they are not

woven, " Kambayashi said.

 

According to Yasushi Amatsu, apparel material section

manager of the same division, 35 percent of Clarino

produced is used to make shoes, while 14 percent of it

is used for fashion items, such as clothing.

 

" Thanks to the boom in man-made suede, however, the

percentage of Clarino that is used to produce fashion

items is increasing, " Amatsu said. He expects the

amount of Clarino used to make fashion garments this

year will increase 20 percent from last year.

 

The company started producing Clarino in 1964 with an

annual production of 600,000 square meters. It now

produces 15.5 million square meters of the synthetic

leather a year, of which more than 70 percent is

shipped to the European market.

 

" The popularity of various types of real leather from

cows, lambs, horses and pigs has increased steadily

since last autumn, " Amatsu said. " Demand for Clarino

products with similar features also has grown. "

 

Kambayashi said Japan is leading the world in

developing man-made leather. The actual processing of

the material is usually done in South Korea, Taiwan

and European countries.

 

" What do we need to work on in developing a more

advanced synthetic material? Well, we often receive

requests from apparel makers and consumers asking us

to make the material lighter, thinner, odorless and

washable, " Kambayashi said.

 

While fake fur and leather products are steadily

gaining popularity in the market, genuine materials

are also faring well as their use has become more

diversified.

 

Akira Sakuma, vice chairman of the Japan Fur

Association, which comprises 77 fur manufacturers,

retailers and wholesalers, said: " In the past, only

fur producers manufactured fur clothes and

accessories. But now apparel makers are entering the

market. I believe the recent popularity is due to both

that trend and revitalized attention to the material. "

 

 

According to Sakuma, apparel makers are especially

enthusiastic about garments made from a combination of

fur and other materials, including wool and silk. " Fur

is used not only for trimming or lining of jackets and

coats, but also for various parts of clothes,

including collars, cuffs and buttons, " he said.

 

Advances in techniques to incorporate fur into fashion

garments are believed to also have contributed to the

increased popularity of fur fashion in Japan, where

long winter fur coats are not in as high demand as

they are in Europe. Fur manufacturers developed such

methods as punching fur to make it permeable and

twisting it into strips to create a lightweight,

low-cost garment made of many pieces of fur, according

to Sakuma.

 

Sakuma said he believes people who buy fur garments

are seeking something authentic in this " age of

confusion. "

 

" It seems to be regarded as a healing material, " he

said.

 

As if to confirm his belief, retail sales of fur and

fur items in the nation are expected to double this

year from 58.2 billion yen last year.

 

Lately some fur jackets have been priced from as low

as 60,000 yen. The price is believed to be attracting

younger fashion-conscious people who were not around

during earlier fur fads.

 

" Mink and fox used to account for most fur materials, "

Sakuma said. " But, partly thanks to the regained

popularity of real fur, inexpensive rabbit fur has

become popular--mostly sourced from cheap imports

mainly from China. I heard that at one famous apparel

maker, rabbit-fur jackets are selling like hot cakes. "

 

 

Takahashi sees a bright future for both real and

man-made leather and fur. " One thing that genuine and

man-made leather and fur have in common, is that they

are now established as everyday materials, " she said.

" They are no longer something special for us to buy

and wear. And this tendency will increase more and

more. "

 

Copyright 2001 The Yomiuri Shimbun

 

 

 

 

 

 

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