Soft skin

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Soft skin

JIANG JINGJING

China Daily

2006-03-06

 

Premier fashion designer Coco Chanel once said that

luxury was not the opposite of poverty, but rather the

opposite of vulgarity. With this in mind, fur is

undoubtedly a must-have item for any refined woman

looking to add a unique, elegant and noble touch to

her wardrobe.

 

Kopenhagen Fur, the world's largest fur auction house,

believes that in today's fashion world, fur is not

just about fur coats and jackets. It can be used for

anything, including evening dresses, handbags, and

even cushions.

 

The Danish company plans to extend this concept to

China, one of the largest fur processing nations in

the world. Kopenhagen Fur sells over 70 per cent of

its products to mainland and Hong Kong every year.

 

" Simply selling fur skins to the market is not enough.

We feel that we have to provide more support to our

clients, to benefit them, but more importantly, to

develop a wider road for the whole fur industry, " says

Torben Nielsen, managing director of Kopenhagen Fur.

 

The company plans to present new and innovative uses

for fur on a regular basis. " We want to offer our

customers new ideas and novel ways to expand the

development of fur as fashion's most luxurious

material, " Nielsen says, adding that the company will

open Kopenhagen Studio on Copenhagen's waterfront in

May.

 

International designers, fashion houses, trend

researchers and other creative people will be provided

with workshop facilities, seminars and a wide range of

other industry offerings.

 

The studio will also include a showroom with a

permanent exhibition featuring the latest fur

developments, as well as examples of the best and most

creative fur products on the market.

 

" We are convinced that the fur trade should work to

become part of the fashion industry, " Nielsen says,

stressing that fur should be just as natural a

material for the fashion world as wool or silk.

 

This studio will be open to all of its clients on a

regular basis, so that customers can follow the latest

developments in technology and design. The company

also wants to reach out to its Chinese customers, a

move it refers to as its " retail strategy. "

 

It recently started co-operating with NE-Tiger,

China's top fashion brand. In November, NE-Tiger

announced it would join Kopenhagen Fur's Purple Club,

which gives it access to Purple Club quality skins.

These are the best in the world and are only supplied

to top international brands. NE-Tiger also has the

right to use the Purple label on its finished

products. Kopenhagen Fur will uphold its end by

ensuring and promoting the exclusiveness of its Purple

quality skins in China through this collaboration with

NE-Tiger.

 

" The accession of NE-Tiger into our Purple Club is a

big step for us in China and for our retail strategy, "

Nielsen says, adding that the company is committed to

bringing the best fur and luxury products to Chinese

consumers.

 

Nielsen says that NE-Tiger has been an important

customer of Kopenhagen Fur for over 10 years, and its

founder and art director, Zhang Zhifeng, has visited

the Danish company many times.

 

" When we wanted to start the Purple Club in China,

NE-Tiger naturally came first on our radar because it

meets our requirements for Purple Club members. "

 

NE-Tiger will be able to take advantage of the

different types of services Purple Club offers, such

as retail staff training, free marketing materials,

and consultancy service on interior designs, shop

layout and marketing.

 

Kopenhagen Fur will also invite NE-Tiger designers to

visit and work in its design centre, to co-operate

with other international designers on new ideas and

initiatives.

 

Consumers who buy any NE-Tiger fur products with

Kopenhagen Purple labels will also receive special

gifts offered directly by the Purple Club in Denmark.

 

Up to 100 carefully selected retailers (or retail

brands) will be offered membership in the Purple Club.

These stores will be included in a prestigious circle

representing the highest levels of quality in the fur

business. NE-Tiger is the only member in China so far.

 

" Fur is the most luxurious material, brimming with

lasting appeal and attractiveness. Kopenhagen Purple

possesses the best quality, " says NE-Tiger's Zhang.

NE-Tiger represents the top end of China's fur market,

but there are still a number of solid brands on the

mainland.

 

Kopenhagen Fur is formulating a plan over the second

half of this year to identify second-level retailers

by offering know-how and expertise to them. This is

part of a plan to make the brand more visible to

Chinese consumers, Nielsen says.

 

" We will unveil our Fur Academy soon, which will get

Chinese furriers involved. Our strategy is to let

Chinese customers appreciate our high-end image by

offering the best quality products, providing strong

support to retailers, and emphasizing our trendsetting

role in the fashion industry, " he says. The company

plans to form partnerships with about 10 clients in

China. Target companies must have the vision to bring

higher added value to clients.

 

China produces mink skin, with output of 8 million per

year. These skins are not up to top international

standards, however. Major mink skin production bases

exist in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, North

China's Hebei Province, East China's Zhejiang

Province, and South China's Guangdong Province.

 

Kopenhagen Fur is the centre of the international fur

trade, offering the best and most comprehensive range

of skins. Since its establishment in 1930, the

Copenhagen-based company has consistently been the

world's largest fur dealer and auction house. It

contributes 50 per cent of the world's annual global

mink production.

 

Approximately 2,100 Danish fur breeders own the

company. They deliver furs to the auction house every

year. The auction house provides the company with

about 90 per cent of its income.

 

Kopenhagen Fur offers four labels of different colours

to represent four different quality standards. Purple

represents the highest quality, the world's finest and

most exclusive skins. The other three standards are

Kopenhagen Platinum, Kopenhagen Burgundy, and

Kopenhagen Ivory.

 

About 350 buyers come from around the world to five

annual auctions (in December, February, April, June

and September) in Copenhagen. Each year, more than 14

million mink skins, as well as fox, chinchilla, seal,

sable, rex rabbit and karakul are auctioned off. Last

year, it auctioned 16 million skins.

 

The world's largest fur provider also claims that it

does a lot of effort to protect animal welfare. The

company has researched and invested in the best

possible conditions for its animals for decades. It

has its own research centre, but also co-operates with

the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, the

Royal Veterinary and Agricultural College, the

University of Copenhagen, and the Danish Animal

Welfare Society.

 

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2006-03/06/content_526890.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

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