Always store your fur garments in cold storage when you are done wearing them for the season or not using them. An Authorized Furcare SpecialistSM is equipped with temperature, humidity, and light-controlled storage facilities to protect your fur, keeping it from drying out, oxidizing and prematurely aging your garment.

Have your fur cleaned annually by an Authorized Furcare Specialist, never a dry cleaner. Your fur may not look dirty but it is important to remove small abrasive dirt particles and chemicals and keep it soft.

Have small rips or tears repaired immediately by your Authorized Furcare Specialist. This will prevent more expensive repairs later.

Always hang your fur on a broad-shoulder hanger, never a wire hanger. Allow enough space so that your fur is not crushed.

Never hang your fur in bags of any type. Plastic or rubber-lined bags prevent air from circulating, which can dry out the leather. Bags (even cloth bags) can also cause wear and broken hairs over time where the bag rests against the fur.

Do not store your fur in a cedar closet. Cedar wood absorbs moisture which can dry your fur out. And cedar closets do not protect from dust, dirt, and insect damage.

Do not store your fur with moth balls. Moth balls react with moisture in the air to produce a gas that acts as fumigant. This chemical reaction can cause irreparable damage to your fur (not to mention a lingering odor).

Avoid spraying perfume, hairspray or other chemicals on your fur. The alcohol content in these products will dry the leather and stiffen the guard hairs.

If your fur gets wet shake it out and hang it to dry in a well-ventilated room. Avoid direct heat or radiators, which can damage both fur and leather. If your fur is soaked through take it immediately to your Authorized Furcare Specialist for proper treatment.

One of the beauties of fur is that it can be repaired or remodeled. Your Authorized Furcare Specialist can find matching fur and make any repairs – or they can help you remodel it into fresh, new fashion.

Fur has been valued for its comfort and beauty by people all over the world. With a rich ceremonial and fashion history, fur types have personalities as varied and unique as the countries and cultures that have nurtured them.

Mink

Mink has never been knocked off its pedestal as the all-time diva of furs. Soft and lightweight with lustrous guard hair and dense, soft undertur, it is primarily farm-raised. Female pelts are smaller in size and have a softer, silkier feel than the larger male pelts. Mink is available in a wide range of natural colors and may be sheared for a sporty, casual look. It is a very durable fur despite its luxurious look.

Fox

The majority of fox fur sold in North America is farm-raised (often from Scandinavia), and is available in the widest range of natural colors of any fur, apart from mink, including silver, crystal blue, red, grey and white. Running neck and neck with mink in the popularity race, this luxurious fur makes an ideal trim for collars, cuffs, wraps and stoles.

Sable

Russian sable is still the most prized fur in the world, renowned for its legendary silky quality, rarity and light weight. Brown with a silver cast, it is the most expensive fur, especially when there is an abundance of silver hair. Canadian sable (brown or golden) is somewhat less expensive.

Chinchilla

Originally from South America, but now farm-raised in both North and South America and in Europe, chinchilla has always had snob appeal, though it is also quite fragile. It’s very silky (in fact no fur is softer) and is mainly grey to slate blue.

Coyote

This wily North American critter has a hardy kind of fur. Dense and durable, it’s creamy, tan or grey and often used for men’s jackets.

Ermine

The winter phase of the weasel, this silky white fur with telltale black tips, was once the fur of European nobility who swept about with it decorating their capes and trains. Traces of this medieval tradition survive in the ceremonial robes of judges and academics.

Fisher

An unusual wild North American fur, fisher is longhaired, dark and silvery.

Lamb

Lamb is the chameleon of fur with a host of personalities. The queen of lamb is broadtail: of Russian origin, it is sleek, lightweight, shiny and flat, with a slight wave, like fine moiré fabric. Mongolian is an extroverted fur that is both longhaired and curly. Often white, its silky hair is frequently dyed in a kaleidoscope of hues. Mouton pelts are sheared closely for a soft, thick flat fur. Persian lamb is farmed in both Asia and South Africa and pelts are prized for their soft, wavy curls with natural colors of black, brown and grey. Shearling is natural lamb pelts with the leather side sueded or leatherized and worn on the outside, and the curly fur worn as a lining.

Lynx

Wildly furry, lynx has an exaggerated edge to it and is indigenous to both North America and Russia. The whiter the fur, the higher its value.

Marten

A close cousin to Russian sable, American marten has long silky hair and varies from dark brown to golden in color. Baum is softer, silkier and shinier than American and Stone, the finest variety, has a bluish-brown coat and pale underfur.

Muskrat

Muskrat is a North American wild fur that is popular for its natural color and can also be dyed rich jewel shades. New Jersey muskrat is lighter in weight with contrasting colors while Northern muskrat has longer guard hair and heavy, thick underfur and is often worked skin-on skin. Southern muskrat is flatter with little underfur and is usually pale in color.

Nutria

Found mainly in Argentina and the Southern USA, it is also farmed in Poland and the Czech Republic. Similar to beaver, it is often sheared for a sporty, more lightweight feel. Because its underfur is very soft and plush and its fur can be dyed in a variety of shades, nutria is a popular fur for linings and trims.

Opossum

Woolly and coarse, opossum is often used for liners and men’s coats. The very different American variety has long silvery black-tipped guard hair with thick underfur while the New-Zealand variety has a short, dense plush-like fur in colors ranging from yellow-grey to natural brown.

Rabbit

Rabbit generally has medium length guard hair in a variety of natural colors and is often sheared or grooved. While not very durable, this is a very reasonably priced fur.

Raccoon

Long gray/black guard hair with silvery tips over a woolly, dense undertur makes it a very durable fur. Finn raccoon or Asiatic raccoon has long, thick tan guard hair with black tips and dense underfur.

Tanuki

Also called Japanese raccoon, has very long guard hair and a full texture. Color is light amber brown with dark, distinctive markings.

Shearling sheepskin is a one of a kind material, no other natural or man-made fiber possesses the virtues of 100% sheepskin. Here are some of them:

It is cool in summer and warm in the winter – the fibers insulate and breathe to act as a natural thermostat for your body.

Lanolin in wool is self cleaning, making sheepskin antibacterial.

Wool is considered by medical professionals to be hypoallergenic.

The fibers in sheepskin are hollow and can absorb up to 30% of their own weight in moisture without feeling wet.

Lanolin, the waxy substance that constitutes anywhere from 5-25% of the weight of sheep’s wool is a natural moisturizer, which can improve the health of skin.

Ounce for ounce, sheepskin is stronger than steel.

Sheepskin will last for years with minimal care, simply brush, shake or vacuum products.

It naturally resists snags, tears, wrinkles and soiling.

Sheepskin retains its shape for many years.

Not only is sheepskin water resistant, but is also flame resistant, static-free and wind-proof.

Easy to clean: you can wash ivory sheepskin pelts by hand or using a gentle cycle.

Cleaning Shearling

When you're cleaning shearling, less is more. We recommend spot cleaning as much as possible. "I hand wash or spot clean with a gentle detergent or castile soap," she explains. "Spot treating versus submersion is the best method for real shearling. Once you've cleaned the stain, roll the shearling in a large bath towel to absorb any liquid, and then let it air dry."

The best way to avoid having to deep clean your shearling? Take preventative measures. After you wear a shearling piece, it helps to do a little maintenance. Rapinchuk recommends that you shake the dust and dirt off and the spot-treating to help cut down on having to figure out how to wash the entire surface. If you're dealing with pilling, she uses a battery powered sweater shaver with a protective shield to remove any pills. If you're dealing with a particularly stubborn stain or wear, take your shearling to a professional and have it cleaned—for a particularly precious or sentimental piece, it's better safe than sorry.