Taking Care Of Fur

A good faux fur coat is a staple in any wardrobe; it's warm, it's classic and it's durable. Fur was first thought to have been one of the first materials used for clothing, dating all the way back to the stone age, although the exact date of its emergence is often debated. It soon developed into a popular garment, often symbolising wealth and status throughout history. I love the look of faux fur and can only confirm further, how warm faux fur coats are. I'd just like to point out that I am 100% against the killing of animals for clothing purposes. Unless of course, you are an Alaskan or tribal native, in which the killing of animals for fur is one of the only ways to obtain warmth and protection...anyway, I digress. I will be sharing a quick and easy way to maintain fur and help prolong the life of it.

Meet my longest standing hairbrush; the Spornette Touché 122. It is a 100% natural boar-bristle brush. I purchased this back in 2008 because I heard that boar-bristle brushes help disperse the oil in your hair evenly, which was going to be particularly handy for the upcoming music festival I was to attend and has been my best friend, ever since. It has an ergonomic foam handle and bristles of different lengths and thicknesses, which helped alleviate my worries of it not being able to brush my extremely thick hair. This is what I use to look after my River Island leopard print fur coat too, which I noticed had become awfully matted, especially around the elbows and lower back where the most friction would occur (from sitting down and resting your arm).

I never noticed how matted my coat was as I don't generally tend to look at my coat from behind. It was only when I decided to Spring clean my wardrobe when I saw the state of the back. I was mortified and embarrassed that I had been walking around with a horribly matted coat for all those behind me to see. I brushed out the matted fur with the boar-bristle brush, sweeping in a downward direction (following the grain of the hair). Naturally, the fur may shed a few hairs in the process but far from enough to be left with bald patches.

It's also worth it to run the brush over the hemline where the matting of the fur looks reminiscent of a Chav's gel-slicked fringe which gives all the more reason to fix it! Materials and manufacture play a huge part in the durability and lifespan of clothing but I strongly believe that it is possible to prolong the lifespan of a garment, purely by taking care of it. Primark is known to be a one-stop, fast-fashion, low-quality retailer. However, I've owned pieces that have lasted years from Primark, simply by turning things inside out before washing, washing with common sense (sometimes the instructions aren't always correct) and repairing/maintaining.

"Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman." 

 - Gabrielle Chanel