Introducing, BFTA Member – Philippa London

 How did you start out in the fur trade?

I have always worked in the fashion industry; womenswear buying, sourcing and personal styling. I had noticed the beauty of Fur from a very early age, but felt is was unattainable.  Four years ago, after wearing my late Grandmother’s mink jacket to a spectacular party, the idea for Philippa London and ‘beautiful pieces from natural beginnings’ began.

It has always been important to me to work with the best craftsmanship, using the finest fabrics and materials and manufacturing using local skills.  It was obvious from the outset that I would need to work closely with experienced British Fur Trade Association Furriers on re styling vintage mink coats into cushions and throws.  The range has developed into new, responsibly sourced fur pieces and restyling of vintage furs into garments and accessories.

 

 

What do you love most about working with fur?

I love the pure natural beauty of fur, it’s movement and softness.  If treated with care and love fur can become beautiful pieces that last a life time and more.  Beautifully crafted pieces look stunning and can become an heirloom passed to future generations.

 

What does Sustainability mean to you?

The rise of man made fibres and disposable fashion and our increasing awareness of the damage this is wreaking to our planet – both in terms or harmful manufacturing processes and micro plastics polluting the environment and food chain, is a massive issue for our industry and our planet.  Sustainability is a critical issue for all of us.  At Philippa London we use natural fur and natural materials for the vast majority of our production.  This ensures we mitigate as far as possible any environmental damage in the production process, and our garments are able to used for many years and in many cases across generations.  Because we use local manufacturing our shipping footprint is low and all of our production is biodegradable.

 

 

 

What do you see as the Challenges?

Fur is definitely a choice and not one that is for everyone, and you must understand this.  In working with the British Fur Trade Association we have the most stringent guidelines on responsibly sourcing fur and in buying only from accredited operators we know that our fur is ethically sourced.

Email: info@philippalondon.com

Website: www.philippalondon.com

Instagram: @philippalondon

Contact Philippa London for remodelling of vintage furs and own collection and cleaning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BFTA Member, Emily Wall of Emilou Furs recently returned from teaching at Centria University in Finland.  Below Emily tells us about her experience and the fur course.

I have just returned from my second teaching trip at Centria University – I have had the opportunity to teach on the fur course there twice now.  In 2017 I taught a week-long workshop in which the students could make a leather and fur bag of their own. I was invited back by the course leader, Pia Blomström, this time I was teaching a portfolio drawing module to the fur students along with Illustrator skills to students on the business courses.

 

 

The goal behind the portfolio drawing course revolves around my experiences of last year’s students: they were incredibly technically skilled, but I thought it would benefit them to focus on how they generate and refine their design ideas, rather than picking one idea and sticking with it, and also how they could communicate design ideas to manufacturers in the future.

The students at Centria come from all over the world. Courses are taught in English, and other guest lecturers like me have also attended, including Kiki Papadioti from CPL in Siatista, who has taught pattern making modules, and of course Basil Kardasis, teaching pure creativity! The students tend to be exceptionally self-motivated and have the chance to work on their own ideas.  They also have opportunities to visit Saga Furs auctions, local fox farms etc.

The course is involved in some really exciting projects too – for example, Centria’s fur studio has recently worked on a project called ReUseFoxHair, which takes loose hair shed by Finnish blue foxes and makes it into yarn, wadding etc. and they are also proposing some household products with companies using this hair. It’s a great example of further development towards methods of using by-products from the trade, which already numbers the use of carcasses and manure to make biofuel and fertiliser.

 

 

Photos from the project taken by Kasper Dalkarl.

It was through Centria University that I was able to visit fox farms for the first time in Finland. To date, I’ve visited four, and my relationship with the farming groups in Finland is becoming a key factor in my business, especially because one of my farmer friends is breeding special colours. These mutation colours were the focus of the discussion I attended in Vaasa as part of my stay; I was invited by Swedish Ostrobothnia’s Fur Farmers Association (this region of Finland has a high Swedish-speaking population, hence two farming groups in Finland, one Swedish and one Finnish) to discuss the use of mutation fox colours in fashion as part of their day on fox genetics.

There is difficulty for the farmers in having these special colours noticed and marketed at the moment, so I came up with a few ideas that I hope they will take to heart. I’m hoping to grow my connections with these farming groups and I have a project in the pipeline to produce some collections using some special colours, so I hope to have more updates on this later!

The course is open to students of all ages and this year there is a student in her 70s, so there’s really no limit on who could try it!

It really is an amazing resource, helping to keep technical furrier skills alive!’

Applications for the fur course starting in January at Centria University are now open.  For further information and details of how to apply please see here

 

BFTA Member of the Month 

This month BFTA Member –  Robin Karr, RDK Designs , Celebrates 50 Years in the Fur Trade

 

Introducing, BFTA Member – Brooke Maria 

‘I guess the feeling that all of this wasn’t just a dream will hit me in the end’

As a final year Fashion Design student in University for the Creative Arts in Rochester I participated in a couple of fashion design competitions and BFTA Design Competition ’18 was one of those that caught my attention the most because I have never worked with fur before I thought that I should give it a try, also because I specialise in menswear and I rarely saw fur being used for it so I took it as a challenge for myself. After being selected as one of the 8 finalist from across the UK the passion and belief that I can actually win it grew bigger and right before graduating I found out that I became a winner of the BFTA Design Competition ’18 and little did I know that it was just the beginning of an adventure that I hadn’t even dreamed of.

As a first place winner, I was awarded with a trip to Studio NAFA in Toronto for a week-long workshop and it was my first trip over the ocean so the excitement was hitting the scale. A wonderful director of Studio NAFA Daria McWilliams was the one who clearly informed and provided us with all the details about the trip and workshop prior it so there was absolutely nothing to worry about as just to count the days to this amazing trip.

On the arrival to Toronto, every student was settled in a great Crown Plaza hotel just 7min away from the NAFA studio. Each of us was sharing a room with another student which was amazing because it made us all connect with each other really fast. I was lucky to be sharing a room with a wonderful designer Pilar from Argentina who has already established her label.

The very first day, at 8:15 all of us still not knowing each other gathered in the lobby of the hotel where Daria met us and took to the Studio NAFA. Each day we were given the NAFA guest passes to be able to enter the building which already made us feel a part of this. The studio where we were working was amazing. It was a huge and very spacious room with an area for presentations, big tables for work, a part with sewing machines, an area with all the furs, fabrics and trimmings and an area with big and soft couches to sit at relax with a cup of morning coffee. At 8:30 we had breakfast every day getting something new, always with fresh fruits on the side and at 9:00 the workshop began. At first, we were welcomed by Rob Cahill, a Senior VP of International Marketing and at 9:15 we began our self-introductions. In total it was 15 young designers from 20-31 years old, coming from New York, Russia, Greece, Canada, Italy, Argentina, China and Spain and it was absolutely amazing to hear about achievements of every single one. Some have already created pieces for celebrities, worked as costume designers for the TV Shows, participated in REMIX and had their own exhibitions. Therefore, I was absolutely sure that everyone who was selected to come here is incredibly talented and I was so excited to get to know everybody even more and start working with them. After presentations, Daria introduced us to NAFA Marketing Endeavours highlighting the history of NAFA, ethical sourcing, the responsible choice, NAFA Marketing and Initiatives. It was incredible to hear that North American Fur Auction (NAFA) is the oldest fur auction house in the world. Headquartered in Toronto (the Studio where we were) roots trace back to 1670 to the historic Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) which was created to market the finest furs from North America and Europe to the world. For over 345 years, NAFA has continued to provide and to market the largest collections of wild fur and the finest collections of North American and European mink to the global fashion community.

After that, we got introduced to Toronto-based designer Farley Chatto, who started creating at the age of 14, did bespoke, was passionate about making everything by hand, was the guy who created the grey cashmere beanie for Dior (also seen in the movie Dior and I). At the age of 18, Yves Saint Laurent was his first client. Moved to Italy, worked for Signore Armani, then moved to Paris and eventually came back to Canada and still works for Chanel, Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton and runs his own lines: Farley Chatto and My Wild by Farley Chatto.

Farley introduced the project that we will be doing and overall was an amazing and inspiring person who told us to think of a fur as an art, to break the walls, challenge ourselves but most importantly taught us that everybody who works in the fur industry has to respect the animal that gave up its life for our use.

The project was called ‘Modern Masters’ and with the inspiration, provided furs, materials and knowledge that we will gain in the next two days we were meant to combine 2 or 3 of the existing techniques and create a new one. The outcome had absolutely no restrictions except the size. You could choose to create two fur plates of 8”x10” or one 11”x17” or one 17”x20”. And also for the final presentation, everybody had to individually answer the question: “Being a Modern Master means_____?”.

After a healthy lunch full of greens we went to visit Parkinson’s Mink Ranch which was about an hour drive from Toronto. The area where the ranch was based was like in those American movies, far from the city, surrounded by green fields and peace. At the gate, to the ranch, we were given long plastic disposable shoe covers in order to protect the ranch environment from the bacteria brought from the city. The Parkinson’s Mink Ranch has been ran by the same family for decades and they used to grow minks of different fur colours but now they focused just on black minks as brown and other lighter colours take longer to grow and require more food and treatment. At the moment there are more than 40k minks in the ranch. We were taken to their sheds, learned about different sizes of mink, how they are paired, vaccinated and taken care of. We saw how the food for them is prepared in a separate shed with lots of cheese and shrimps and then were talked through how the furs are being rated and sorted.

 

 

Every day we finishwd work at around 16:30 or 17:00 and also NAFA provided us with a travel card for public transport and a cash allowance for dinners and for us to explore downtown after class.

On day 2 we started a morning class with Senior Fur Technician John Kehagias who grew up in furrier’s family and been working with fur ever since he was a little boy. He taught us about available types of wild furs and ranched furs. Showed physical examples and described features of beaver, muskrat, racoon, red fox, grey fox, coyote, fisher, sable and mink furs. After that together with Farley they demonstrated and reviewed the traditional skill techniques used in fur garment manufacturing: let out, skin on skin, intarsia, feathering and wave technique. The samples that were shown were absolutely incredible and I realised that there are so many things that you could do with the fur that the possibilities seem infinitive and also the fur industry creates only 3-5% of waste and is eligible not only for recycling but is up-cycling too.

Right before lunch Farley showed us how to make patterns while working with fur which seemed quite similar to regular pattern cutting just required to take into account a couple of rules: fur has no stretch or ease, therefore, darts and shoulder ease are cut out; there are no seam allowances while working with fur; different then on regular pattern cutting working with fur you always have to think in 360*; always consider the hair length of the furs that will be used and give allowance for the movement of the body. Then Farley talked us through Fur Trends for FW 2018-2018 and all together we in detail analysed pieces form catwalk describing what furs and techniques were used.

After lunch, everyone got a white robe with NAFA logo on it and John did the introduction on how to operate the fur machines. And the first exercise to make us feel the machine and get comfortable with it was to take a blank sheet of paper, fold it to have a folded edge and use the machine without the thread just to make it poke holes and see how straight your stitching line is going. After that John showed us how to correctly use the fur knife and then we took two little stripes of fur and with the threaded machine now we had to join them. At the end of the studio there was a big box with little scraps of furs, therefore, using it we could practice our sewing skills as much as we wanted and John was the greatest to always give advice and come to help.

Now when we learned about types of furs, techniques of joining them, how to use the machines and knew the latest fur trends we were ready to begin working on our own new technique plates. We were provided with a big range of different fabrics, furs and trimmings, there were even clippers and glue gun so we literally could go as creative as we wanted.

 

 

Day 3 was fully left for us to work on our pieces. The studio opened at 7:30 every day so we could come early and start working. We had big tables to work on and each table was for 4 students to share. I was working with my roommate Pilar, Valeria from Italy and Alba from Spain. In general, this year’s class was so friendly and as Daria said later she was surprised at how quickly we all connected and were happily working together. And it is true, even though everyone was working on their individual piece we kept on sharing our ideas, giving advice and helping each other which made all this experience absolutely amazing. Also, Daria, Farley and John were incredible, always there to answer all our questions, to help us and just to make sure that we don’t forget to stop and eat. During the day we were working together and in the evenings (sometimes in groups sometimes all together) we were exploring Toronto which made us feel like a little family, therefore, I truly enjoyed every single minute there.

The first half of the day 4 was for us to finish off our pieces as in the afternoon NAFA had a big BBQ in its backyard where we got to see other people who work in the building but in different sectors. After that, we had a museum night as Farley got us tickets to the Iris Van Herpen exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum. The outcomes of an artist Philip Beesley and designer Iris Van Herpen collaboration were absolutely stunning. The 3D silhouettes, incredible textures and materials, sound effects and dimensions of the artwork left us all amazed. After that, we also visited the BATA shoe museum and to finish off the day we had a group dinner with all NAFA team! It was such a warm and friendly evening that no one wanted that day to end.

The final day – presentations. As always we gathered in the studio early in the morning and till 11 am we had to prepare our pieces for presentation. Then we hang them all on one of the walls and it happened that I was the one to present my work first. Different from usual, for this project I did not think of a concept first, I just let my eye choose the colour, fabrics and fur and my hands do the work. As I have never worked with fur before I decided to not overthink it but explore and play with it. From furs, I used white long hair coyote, black sheared beaver and red sheared beaver and from fabrics, I used black mesh, red leather, black accordion pleated chiffon, black mesh neoprene and black leather cord. I chose to produce two 8”x10” fur plates in the same colour palette but with different elements. The interesting bits of my plates were where I :

• took a black mesh and put on top of a long hair white coyote fur and hand sew it using invisible thread. Then using crochet hook with a pattern of diagonal lines skipping every second row I pull through the fur that way creating little air spaces between the long hair and making it lighter when you touch it;
• on a leather cord, I gathered a stripe of pleated chiffon and a thinner stripe of red leather and securing one end with a knot another pull through the black sheared beaver to knot it from behind leaving that little piece hanging over the black sheared beaver.
• sewed red sheared beaver on top of the red leather and put a mesh fabric on top creating 3D effect
• rolled long hair coyote fur into pleated black chiffon and tied on end with a leather cord leaving the fur sticking out from another end of chiffon tube
• used fur as a background for an additional detailing of the piece

 

• 

 

In the end, I remembered a Greek aphorism ‘Panta rhei’ which means “everything flows”. It follows a saying of Heraclitus; a Greek philosopher: “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” We cannot reproduce an experience. Something will always be different. Using this I came up with idea that when I chose different fabrics and different furs they were different from what it became now when I used it. I experimented and I played with it and I came up with something new. Concluding it all, my answer to the question of this project was: “Being a Modern Master means to be fearless.”

Every single one of us created a beautiful and inspiring piece and it was wonderful to see how creative we went. As Farley said: “Every year young designers surprise us and take this project to another level and every year we question what else designer will bring next year?”. Everyone was proud of their achievements as we learned a lot and got to create our own techniques in such a short time and we made it! After that, we had our graduation ceremony where every student was awarded with a NAFA certificate and then we closed our little ceremony with a glass of champagne. We took lots of photos, gave strong hugs to Daria, Farley and John, said hundreds of Thank you and simply didn’t want to go.

 

 

To finish off our trip to Canada we were taken to see Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-lake and of course, it was absolutely incredible. We took a boat trip which took us to the falls as close as possible and left us soaking wet but it was totally worth it! And oh my, the Niagara-on-the-lake is truly the most beautiful place I have ever been to. Even though the skies of Toronto were already crying because we were leaving the view was still breath taking.

On our last evening, most of us gathered in one of the hotel rooms and spend hours talking and laughing about the moments that we experienced together and how wonderful was this trip. After spending a week here learning, creating and sharing knowledge it was clear that NAFA is committed to working with all industry sectors to support the development and implementation of certified furs in order to ensure that fur remains a fashionable and responsible choice in the future. And most importantly – young designers are the future!

I would like to Thank BFTA for selecting me as a winner of the BFTA competition and giving me this amazing opportunity to see the industry that I have never even though of. This opened to me lots of new opportunities and truly moved me as a fashion designer to a higher level. And of course a huge Thank you for studio NAFA for an incredible workshop and all the shared knowledge.

 

 

To find out more about entering BFTA’s next Fur Design Competition please see here or contact us

 

 

 

Introducing, BFTA Member – Rachel Zeitlin, Rachel Fur Apparel and Accessories

How did you start out in the fur trade?

The Fur Trade is my family & my heritage. I was lucky to be born into a family who are passionate with experience within the trade, I am proud to say I am the 4th generation of my family to continue within the trade. My own company began in 2010, after pursuing a career in fashion. Prior to this, at the age of 15 approximately along with my cousin Katie we convinced our fathers to ship us some denim jackets lined with fur, which we sold – Can’t believe that trend has come around again!

 

 

What do you love most about working with fur?

Fur is continuing to change, with new techniques, new dye & new colours the possibilities are endless. Even after years of seeing this industry, I find new and inspiring things from the same classical fabric. Sadly I feel the luxury aspect of fur can alienate what it’s really about and I hope to bring fur and its wonders to all markets.

 

What do you see as the challenges?

There are many challenges facing the trade as a whole, but the most important is the public’s perception of the product and the trade. The nature of today’s society means rapid changes in opinions to knowledge and we must learn to change and grow alongside it. This is one of the oldest trades in the world and we must continue  in  doing all we can to innovate, expand and educate people about it.

 

 

What does Sustainability mean to you?

Along with the word sustainability the words, traceability and responsibility are also continually repeated;  these three words will serve as the key to the future of any fur company. As for myself, these concepts have always served as the starting point for my design, the research for my suppliers and the inspiration for moving forward. I continue to commit to find ways to responsibly source fur & work with it in the most sustainable & environmentally friendly way. The modern consumer is now aware of their manufacturing process and deserves the right to know of the origins of the products they buy, how and where their products are produced and if they can or can’t be upcycled, recycled or reused.

 

Anything to add?

I am excited to see the future of this trade & the return to sustainable natural fibres. There is so much history and culture here for the modern consumer to see and to be inspired by.

www.rachelzeitlin.com

Introducing, BFTA Member – Ninx Flanagan, Bewitched Couture

How did you start out as a furrier?

I started my career studying couture pattern cutting at London College of Fashion whilst simultaneously having an apprenticeship to the bridal couturier Rebecca Street.  I always had a calling to work with fur as the variety, complexity, movement and sculptural nature of fur entranced me – but there was nowhere I knew of to learn, so I began by buying vintage furs at markets and ‘reverse engineering’ them to learn their construction. I would then remodel them to new contemporary pieces, selling them on to friends and clients.  Eventually, I moved to working almost exclusively with fur, investing a huge amount in my first fur machine and gleaning what knowledge I could from anyone I met in the fur industry.  As a first-generation furrier it has most definitely been an uphill battle somewhat ‘in the dark’ until I discovered the BFTA and I’m delighted to now be part of the ‘family’ of BFTA members. I’m passionate about helping make learning the skills of a furrier more accessible not only to young designers but ‘upskilling’ technical people who already work in a sewing environment. I have to admit I’m a little jealous of all the amazing courses now available to new young people entering the industry and I’d like to see more advanced ‘masterclass’ courses available for people such as myself in areas like ‘stranding’ etc.  We never stop learning!

 

What do you love most about working with fur?

I’m hugely passionate about art, Circular Fashion, natural materials and British craftsmanship and working with fur ticks all these boxes!  Sculptural artform has always been a part of who I am and I consider every garment I pattern cut or remodel to be a piece of ‘wearable art’ and fur embodies the perfect material to work with… The textures, colours, hair length, density, directionality, movement and mouldable shape offer infinite possibilities limited only by one’s imagination!  I also love that fur can be reinvented over and over again, bringing the opportunity of return business from a client and then eventually the fur can be returned to the environment in an ecologically beneficial way… What’s not to love!

What do you see as the challenges?

Aside from the current threats facing the industry from animal rights groups and politics that we are all fully aware of, I’d like to concentrate on the challenges facing the ‘first generation furrier’.  One of the biggest challenges is showcasing your imagination and what you are capable of in a commercial collection whilst also needing to dedicate most of your time to ‘bread and butter’ private client work that earns you your main living.  As EmiLou articulates well we are a ‘one-man-band’ working not only as a furrier but also HR, Accounts, Sales, Marketing, PR, Strategist, Production and above all… Designer.  I’d really like to explore how the industry can support us ‘first generation furrier’ businesses.  It would be great to work together with established businesses who could mentor young entrepreneurs.

 

What does Sustainability mean to you?

Sustainable, circular fashion is at the heart of what we do at Bewitched Couture.  Not only is it important to us to use British craftsmanship but also to use quality, sustainable materials, wherever possible, in all our creations.  Our clients want garments that are made from ‘natural’ materials that breathe and don’t deplete the planet – fur, leather, wool and silk fit the bill perfectly and these are our primary materials.  Each of these materials we select are from either certified farmed or wildlife managed sources and are also REACH compliant in the dressing process.  Knowing that none of the bi-product is wasted is also confidence giving to our clients.

Sustainability, for Bewitched Couture, means responsible sourcing and supply chain provenance… if we don’t know where it’s come from – we won’t use it!

Anything to add?

Follow us on Instagram for what we are up to in the workshop each week @bewitched_couture

Anyone looking for internships and work experience west of London please do get in touch with a CV and any examples of previous textile/fashion work.

E:  ninx@bewitchedltd.com

W: www.bewitchedltd.com

F:  www.facebook.com/bewitched.couture

Instagram: bewitched_couture

BFTA would like to introduce our newest member, Emilou Fur.

How did you start out as a furrier?

I was persuaded by my tutor at Northumbria University to enter the BFTA Fur Design Competition. I must have had an epiphany during my visit to the BFTA as a finalist, as I ended up buying an antique (motorless!) fur machine and making half of my graduate collection from fur. I have developed my skills a lot since then thanks to Fur Europe’s summer school in Kastoria and working with BFTA Member, Chris Courtenay Williams. I still consider myself a learner, collecting what books are available on working with fur and photographing the insides of vintage coats if I’m taking them apart to remodel.

While the technical and creative aspects of working as a furrier are very important to me, I am also keen to be involved in other aspects of the trade. I recently taught a short course on bag making at Centria University, Finland, and am planning to go again this year to teach a course on designing for a portfolio. I also attended a conference in Budapest last year with Fur Europe and sat on a panel to discuss conservation of youth skills in the fur industry. I also think that it is vital to maintain good connections with the entire supply chain and so far I have visited four farms and worked in collaboration with one in particular in Finland.

What do you love most about working with fur?

Kiki Papadioti, Head of Design at CPL in Siatista told me a few years ago that ‘once you’ve worked with fur, you always work with fur’. I think that’s entirely true. I have most certainly fallen in love with the material and I do remember that the first time I saw a selection of Saga Fur’s samples, I was astonished at what could be achieved with fur. I’ve seen Saga Fur’s samples a few times and it still conjures the same feeling! It never gets boring for me, and it appeals to my detail-oriented nature. The critical path of designing and producing fur is more engaging and appealing to me than the production of other types of garments (which I have experienced, having also worked as a pattern cutter in a ‘fast fashion’ setting).

I also have opportunities to meet interesting individuals, and I have found the network of people involved in fur to be warm and welcoming. Sometimes I feel a little lonely working in the north (especially when I’m crawling around on the floor, removing staples from a skin and usually destroying my hands and knees in the process, which is not one of the most glamorous aspects of my fur production) but I know that I have some great connections and opportunities, which makes every day working with fur feel fresh and exciting.

What do you see as the challenges?

I’m only going to mention in passing that there are obvious challenges in the perception of fur, and I have certainly had my fair share of rude comments. Mentions of fur in politics and the media can cause anxiety for all of us in the trade, even if it’s only because of tedious repetition! However, in general, because I’m busy, I’m content. The main challenge for me is that because I have come into this line of work as a new individual, it’s quite hard to decide where to take my ideas next. My goal is to produce a collection and to solidify myself as a brand, and I certainly have contact with a number of manufacturers who could help me, but before risking potential financial backing, in my somewhat isolated position, I need to make sure that I’m not ‘designing in a vacuum’ and risking an unsuccessful concept in this costly material.

Aside from that, I think the main issue is time – I have had some extremely unusual requests for fur and other products, ranging from home accessories to hats to gloves and more. Because fur is no simple material to work with, these products take energy to develop and make, and with no team of people to do the individual tasks of nailing, sewing, lining etc. the modern furrier is forced to act as a one-man band (though I do now have a machine with a motor)! I’m quite sure I make things harder for myself because of the scope of what I want to do and make. However, I am grateful for the fact that I essentially have endless opportunities to learn, because every new job presents a new challenge.

What does Sustainability mean to you?

An important part of the value chain is the dressing of fur, and I have taken opportunities to visit two major tanning facilities in Greece where I learned about the processes of dressing and dying skins, including methods of water and energy recycling. I am hoping to broaden my knowledge in this area in order to be able to discuss the ever improving sustainability of fur, which already has the advantages of a long cradle-to-grave lifespan (especially with the possibility of remodelling) and usage of waste, including fur scraps for platework and farm waste for biofuel.