What Is the Difference Between Faux and Real Fur?

What Is the Difference Between Faux and Real Fur

When it comes to buying leatherwear, we all want the finest, softest, and 100% original leather. Until a few years ago, I remember how hard we tried to avoid being conned by a seller marketing faux fur as real fur. We would watch tons of YouTube videos on real fur vs faux fur to make sure we would not end up buying faux fur at the price of real fur.

Thankfully, the leather industry has toughened up its standards, requiring all leatherwear manufacturing companies to become registered and explicitly mention the kind of leather they use in the manufacture of a product.

However, there is still a number of factors that might concern you. Case in point: durability. The durability of a leather product does not depend only on the quality of the leather used but also on the tailoring. This post explains what you can expect when you buy something made of faux fur as compared to real fur.

What is Faux Fur?

What is Faux Fur

As we know, faux fur means fake fur. To create it, they use synthetic materials that have been treated, dyed, and cut to mimic the touch and texture of real fur. Thanks to advancements in technology, faux furs today bear such a close resemblance to real fur that one can barely notice the difference with the naked eye. The creation of faux fur was to provide a cheaper alternative to real fur as well as to discourage animal killing.

There’s an increasing number of people going vegan and adopting an unbending stance against animal killing. They refuse to eat or wear anything that’s produced by harming animals in any way. Faux fur gives them a way to continue to wear fur without resorting to animal cruelty. 

To one’s surprise, some faux furs are even better than real fur in multiple ways. For instance, they are more durable and do not require special care like real fur.

Here’s what else you can expect from faux fur.

Affordability

Affordability is one of the major reasons behind the popularity and increasing sale of faux fur. It gives you a look and feel close to real fur without ripping you off that real fur might. Its wider availability now makes it possible for everyone to join the fur fashion league, which was accessible to only the affluent earlier.

Ethical Integrity

If you are against the massacre of animals and believe they have the right to live as much as we do, faux fur keeps your ethical integrity intact by offering a fur-like option that involved no animal killing in its manufacturing.

Eco-Friendly and Sustainable

While faux fur may be dangerous for the environment because of the microfibers it releases, real fur is far worse. The practices employed for animal farming are unhygienic and cruel, creating a devastating impact on the environment.

What is Real Fur?

What is Real Fur

As clear from the term, real fur is fur obtained from animals. Animals that are used for fur include minks, chinchillas, beavers, foxes, bears, cats, and dogs. The practice of farming animals for fur is considered gruesome. For that reason, fur sales are being banned all over the world.

While real fur provides better warmth and comfort, the torture animals go through is unacceptable, which is why many people prefer faux fur today. The faux fur industry has advanced so much that the fur it produces provides almost the same level of comfort and warmth as real fur.

So, is faux fur real and is faux fur warm? Well, faux fur is not real obviously, but it is about as warm as real fur today.

How to Tell Real Fur from Faux Fur

Some people believe that animals that are overly populated such as coyotes can be used to obtain fur. Whether you like real fur or are against it, there are certain ways you can tell real fur and fake fur apart.

By Reading the Description

Most brands include such details in the product description. They also attach labels that mention the materials used. However, you can’t always believe these labels, as some brands sell faux fur under the title of real fur.

By Checking the Company’s Profile

You can always visit the company’s website to find out whether they use faux fur or real fur. If the company is a well-known brand that likes to stay honest, it will always clearly state the materials it uses.

By Analyzing the Price

The price of a fur product can always give you a good idea about its authenticity. Real fur is much more costly than faux fur. So, if a product is claimed to have used real fur but is super cheap, you have a reason to doubt.

By Closely Examining the Touch and Texture

Faux fur usually feels coarser and harder than real fur. However, technology has gone far beyond the imagination of a layman, and most faux fur produced today looks and feels almost the same as real fur. Only someone who either is from the fur industry or has been wearing fur for a long time can spot the difference.

By Observing the Base of the Hair

The base of faux fur is fabric, while that of real fur uses leather or animal skin. Again, it can be quite tricky to tell the difference because of the sophisticated faux fur manufactured today.

By Touching the Tips

Real fur tapers and has pointed yet soft tips – much like hair. Faux fur, on the other hand, is a blunter and finishes abruptly.

By Performing the Burn Test

You can try pulling out a couple of strands from your fur clothing. If the strands easily catch fire and have a burnt hair odor, the fur is real. If, however, they smell of burnt plastic, it’s faux.

By Trying the Pin Test

Try to pass a pin through fur clothing. If it easily passes, the fur is most likely faux. Real fur uses a thick leather lining, which is difficult to pierce with a pin. 

Summary

The faux fur produced today provides the same quality and warmth as real fur – sometimes even better.  The fact that it doesn’t require animal killing makes it a more popular option and is the reason behind the exponential growth of the faux fur industry.

If you are looking for men's faux leather jackets, Markhor Wear produces a wide variety of high-quality faux leather jackets. Our Badass Sherpa lined Faux Leather Jacket is one of the top-selling jackets. Check out the entire range here.