Fur coats at a recent fashion competition in Beijing.
But design guru says she doesn't own a fuzzy coat, despite decade-long experience
What comes to mind when "fur" is mentioned? Warmth? Cruelty? Luxury? The idea of wearing fur stirs strong emotions among people the world over. Many of those who see it as a beautiful, practical and luxurious addition to life were in Beijing last week for the 36th China Fur and Leather Products Fair.
For Wang Yue, vice-director of the textile and fashion design department at Tsinghua University, fur should be part of people's daily lives and, when used sparingly, can easily be a fixture throughout the year and not reserved for special occasions.
Wang, a pioneer in fur design in Beijing, shared her thoughts with METRO reporter Meng Jing.
What are the latest trends in fur fashion?
The new developments in the use of fur shows that fur can be perfectly combined with woolen sweaters, cashmeres and other fabrics. The partial use of fur is very "in" this season.
A wedding dress could have a fur shoulder; a woolen sweater could use a fur pocket, even a suit could have a fur collar. The furry elements add glamour to outfits, giving them different layers and classic looks.
Young people may not be able to afford a Chanel suit but they can buy a Chanel lipstick and still get a taste of the high quality of the world-class brand. The same theory can also be used in furs. Fur coats are luxurious items for most people, but fur accessories, such as fur bags, fur shoes and fur necklaces, can be easily afforded by people who enjoy fashion.
Do you have any fur coats?
It's weird that, as a fur designer, I don't own any fur products. I think that's probably because I work with furs all day long. People see beautiful and gorgeous outfits, but I only see furs. When I see a fur coat, I analyze it and wonder which animal's fur was used and study the color, the shape and the design.
When did you enter the fur industry?
I studied clothing design at Tsinghua University and in 1996 I won a fur design competition held by Kopenhagen Fur, which is the world's largest fur auction house and the leading provider of luxury fur. In 1998, I was offered an opportunity to visit and study with the company in Denmark. The whole company is decorated with furs. I was surrounded by all kinds of furs every day. They have different sizes, different colors and different feels. I fell in love with furs there.
Why did you choose fur design instead of clothing design?
Fur design makes me feel special. We are not dealing with ordinary cloth, we are dealing with furs which are much more expensive than cloth. They are the symbol of luxury.
What are the differences between fur design and clothes design?
Fur design is very challenging compared to clothes design because of the different materials. Certain animals have a certain size of fur, so the material we are dealing with is limited. Usually, we need to sew many pieces of fur together but still make them look like a whole piece.
What are the difficulties when you design fur coats?
There are no two completely identical furs in the world, which means when we put different furs together, we need to consider a lot of elements, like color, shape and thickness. In addition, fur design demands great foresight.
Any clothes have four seasons but fur coats can only be worn in winter. Clothes designers can develop and change their blueprints gradually, but fur designers have to start their design one year ahead. We need to grasp the trend of the future. It is very difficult.
One year ago, designers believed this year would have a warm winter, so we designed a lot of short jackets and short sleeves. But it turns out it is the coldest winter for decades.
How long does it take to finish a design?
It's really difficult to say. Every March, we start to design for the next September. Usually, I study hard from the shows all over the world and also get some inspiration from traveling.
And the design often depends on an individual company's needs.
At first, we use cloth to make the samples, we only move to fur after the experiment with cloth is successful. Because furs are very expensive, we don't want to waste our materials. Every January, we have the China Fur and Leather Products Fair. We will get feedback from our customers, so we can make changes for the coming winter.
Can you offer some tips on how to wear furs?
Furs can be very colorful. Be bold; do not be afraid to try pink, purple or anything you like. Don't forget accessories. Furry fingerless gloves, furry arm warmers and leg warmers are very popular this season.
Furs can also be combined with other materials. They can be suitable for office wear and casual wear and make you look less one-dimensional. Belts can be very useful for fur coats. They can become the focus of the whole coat, giving an elegant and stylish look.
