Natural fur clothing has always been appreciated. Currently, a fur coat is not only warm and comfortable clothes for the winter period, but also a kind of indicator of the status of a lady. Any woman in a good expensive fur coat looks much more representative than in a banal down jacket or coat. Natural fur clothing makes a woman more sophisticated, seductive and gives her charm.
Almost every woman in our country has a fur coat, and often more than one. But often these things lie for years, and nobody puts them on. This happens for many reasons: the model is outdated , the fur has worn in places and shines, the uncomfortable style of the product, etc. Old fur coats collect dust in cabinets. At the same time, they don’t even raise their hands, and no one wants to wear them.
In this case, it is worth considering repair and restoration of a fur coat. This is much more profitable than buying a new one. At the same time, the master in the studio can transform the old thing so that it will look as if the price tag has just been removed from it.
Defects on fur products
When is a fur coat restoration needed? The following symptoms indicate this:
- the edges of the sleeves frayed;
- the fur was wiped in the pockets and at the bottom of the product;
- the fur coat is torn (along the seam or on the skin);
- worn lining;
- bald patches appeared on any site;
- accessories are damaged: buttons, hooks, loops along with small sections of fur are torn off.
In addition, the restoration of a fur coat may include a change in color, style, length, fit to the figure or a complete alteration.
Often this work involves the use of additional materials: similar fur for inserts, or completely different - for a new collar, sleeves, or trim. All this affects the cost of remaking. The final price of repairing a fur product can be found out only when the master inspects the item and determines the degree of wear, and also listens to the wishes of the client.
Is it possible to fix defects yourself and is it worth it
If restoration of a mink or other fur coat seems unnecessarily expensive, then you can try to refresh the thing yourself. But I want to note right away that this is not an easy task, and not everyone can achieve a result without ruining the product.
Not every seamstress will undertake the repair of a fur product: for such work, experience is needed. It is necessary to understand the principles of working with fur and with the base (skin), to know the methods of dyeing, the technology of sewing fur coats, in which there are a lot of nuances and professional secrets.
Therefore, you can only yourself sew up a fur coat torn at the seam: carefully, taking care not to damage the base (and with old products, the skin is dry and easily tears). In all other cases, you should contact the furrier.
How to restore different fur coats
Buying a brand new fur coat in a store, women often do not understand that they choose not only fur, but also all subsequent problems. Different fur deteriorates over time in different ways: some things are inherently prone to certain changes.
For example, fur coats from a cat, a beaver and an otter are prone to salting: the fur dims due to greasy sticky coating, which must be removed in a timely manner.
Bright things from karakul, arctic fox and snow-white mink turn yellow over time. This defect can be eliminated by degreasing and cleaning the pile, and then applying talcum powder mixed with hydrogen peroxide. But it is better to contact a specialist in cleaning fur products.
Astrakhan and goat are prone to wiping. This is especially noticeable on the sides, pockets and cuffs. Fur coats from karakul can be repaired using fur inserts (the seams will be invisible), or leather patches. The goat thing is easiest to update with contrasting leather patches.
Fur coats from nutria and rabbit rarely restore. The service life of such things is small (3-5 years, no more), since even with an excellent appearance, the base quickly wears out and breaks. And when you try to alter it literally creeps under the needle.
Restoring a mink coat is a laborious process. The fur is long, very beautiful and strong enough. In order not to visually reduce the cost of the product, for repair you need to choose the same material in color. However, leather inserts in problem areas are also possible (it looks good on a shorn mink), or trim with more expensive fur, which will look like a decoration, and not like a patch.
Wizards work with any material. They can repair a fur coat from fox, nutria, sheepskin, chinchilla. In cases where there is a chance of damage to the product due to the severe deterioration of the skin (most often it is nutria, rabbit or groundhog), the furrier warns the customer about the risk, and she makes a decision.
Atelier or restoration of fur coats at home: what to choose
Services for the restoration and alteration of fur products are often offered to be performed directly at the master’s house. Can you trust them? Of course, if there are recommendations from friends or acquaintances. But you must always remember that you are giving away an expensive thing into the hands of a stranger. Of course, not all furriers working at home are scammers, but some of them are self-taught who do not cost anything to spoil a fur coat with their inept actions.
Below is an example of an unsuccessful restoration of a fur coat (pictured), which was entrusted to such unfortunate masters.
The studio can also not quite successfully refresh the coat. But the customer will have a receipt on hand, an advance payment check, sometimes they indicate in the receipt what exactly they will do with the thing. All of this evidence can be brought to court if the product has been damaged.
Fit and resize models
When they say "restoration of a mink coat", very often they mean a change in the style of the product. Mink is a durable material and will last at least 10 seasons, although not as warm as a mouton or arctic fox. But at the same time, mink fur looks very expensive and respectable.
But good preservation leads to the fact that the coat is hopelessly out of date - it can no longer be worn. A master can make a fitted or straight out of a flared model or fit a thing according to a figure if the client has lost weight.
In cases where the fur coat has become small, you can add new fur inserts.
Length adjustment
Mouton coats are very warm and practical. They are not cold in the most severe frosts, and not hot in wet slushy weather. Previously, many refused to buy mouton coats because of their unattractive appearance. But modern technology has made it possible to make refined and very feminine models of these skins of very different cuts and colors (fur is painted, since natural color is not the most attractive).
Such things serve for a long time, the service life will depend on the quality of dressing and sewing skins. But over time, everything deteriorates and the fur is wiped. Sometimes only the bottom of the product loses its attractiveness, especially if it is long.
Restoration of a mouton fur coat - or from any other fur - consists in the following: the length is shortened, removing all damaged areas and processing the edge. You can go another way: to increase the length with inserts that are suitable in color and structure - this can be done on a long model with a spoiled bottom or to build up a short fur coat.
Elimination of defects
Often, the restoration of a fur coat does not consist in a radical alteration of the product, but in the elimination of small defects that spoil the appearance. So, you can replace with new fur inserts the places where the fur is most wiped off, or where there are holes from torn accessories. This will greatly improve the condition of the product. Sometimes it is necessary to replace individual parts, for example, a collar or decorative inserts.
Altering and dyeing the fur
Sometimes the deterioration of the product does not allow to restore it qualitatively. In this case, the restoration of a fur coat is understood as a complete alteration: the clothes will be dismantled into composite skins, the fur will be cleaned (at the request of the customer, they will be painted) and a completely new thing will be sewn. Since a high degree of wear does not allow you to save a lot of material, then vests and fitted fur jackets are often sewn from an old coat.