What a fur asks for.
Air, a wide hanger, no plastic. A few habits a year, and they decide whether the piece gets passed on.
A fur needs what skin needs: air and cool. Anything that dries it out damages it — a radiator, a car boot in the sun, a plastic cover. A hot climate is not a problem in itself, as long as the piece breathes and does not sleep in a closed wardrobe all year.
Care & passing on
A fur lives on air and cool temperatures. It takes cold, wind, an evening outdoors. What it takes badly is being shut in: heat, trapped damp, plastic, being pressed between two coats. Under the hair, the leather is a living material. It dries out, and once dried out it does not come back.
So it is almost never wearing that damages a piece, it is storage. A fur worn often and hung properly ages better than a fur taken out three evenings a year and left compressed the rest of the time. The climate does not change the rule, only the attention it asks for: between a summer in Riyadh and a spring in Paris, the piece always needs air around it, shade and cool.
The rest comes down to a few short, regular habits, set out below, along with what to know before handing a piece to a professional or passing it on.
Six rules, and nothing else
When you come in
Shake the piece out sharply, at arm's length, to give the hair back its volume. Brush with the hair using a soft brush, never against it.
The hanger
A wide wooden hanger with shoulders. A thin hanger marks the lining and eventually digs into the shoulder. Leave ten centimetres of air on each side in the wardrobe.
The cover
Cotton only. Plastic traps damp and dries out the leather: it is the first cause of brittle skins. Cover open at the bottom.
If it rains
Let it dry flat, at room temperature, away from any radiator or hairdryer. Once dry, shake it out and brush it. Never spray anything on it.
Perfume, jewellery
Put your perfume on before the piece, never on it: alcohol stains the hair permanently. Watch bag clasps and rings that always rub in the same place.
Once a year
Professional fur cleaning every one to two years, never an ordinary dry cleaner. In a hot climate, cold storage over the summer extends the life of the piece considerably.
With the hair, without pressing.
A soft-bristled brush, long passes, no pressure. The point is to separate hairs that have stuck together, not to comb. On a fox, go from the collar towards the hem; on a short mink, follow the line of the strips.
A piece that changes shoulders.
A fur gets handed on, and that is often when it needs the workshop. A daughter does not have her mother's line: we shorten it, take it in, rework the shoulder, change a tired lining. An altered piece is good for another ten years.
Send us photos and the measurements of the person who will wear it. We say what is possible, and what is not, before you ship anything.
What we are asked most
Can I wear a fur in a hot climate?
Yes, and it is the most common use among our clients: January nights in Riyadh, Doha or Fez drop low enough for a coat to make sense. What to avoid is closed storage during the hottest months. An aired wardrobe is enough; cold storage over the summer is better.
Can a fur be shortened?
Almost always. Shortening, taking in, reworking the shoulders and replacing the lining are routine. Turning a long coat into a jacket is possible but is decided on the piece itself: it depends on how the skins were assembled. Write to us with photos before doing anything.
How long does a well-kept fur last?
Twenty to thirty years for a mink, fifteen to twenty for a fox, longer for a lamb. What wears a piece out is almost never wearing it: it is the storage — plastic, dry heat, a hanger that is too thin.
What if the hair thins in one spot?
It is usually repeated rubbing — a bag strap, a seatbelt, an armrest. The area can be replaced with a matched skin graft if we still have material from the lot. Tell us early: wear caught in time can be put right, torn leather much less so.
Do you take on pieces that did not come from you?
Yes, for alterations and restoration, after we have seen photos. We turn down pieces whose leather has already gone brittle: the seam would not hold and the repair would cost more than the garment is worth. We say so plainly rather than take the work.
What wears a fur out is almost never wearing it.
FURSULTANA, Paris
Knowing what you have in your hands.
Each material ages in its own way and does not ask for the same care. The guide covers the six furs we work with, what they give you to wear and what they ask in return.
