History

Fur has been valued since the Stone Age for its warmth and protective qualities.

Ancient Egyptian civilisations attached great ceremonial importance to dressed animal skins and furs, which were worn as a symbol of power and luxury. In Homer’s Greece, fur was used not only as battle dress but also for home decorations.

In Northern Europe, fur was first worn as fashion on the inside of cloaks and as trimming from the 10th century. During the 11th and 12th centuries, hats made from beaver skins first became widely fashionable. This trend developed into making fur caps, gloves, muffs, collars and linings for coats during the 14th century.

The European demand for fur, in particular beaver, was to drive the early history of North America, as French and English adventurers, traders and eventually governments competed to trade for furs with aboriginal Americans.

The fur coat, as we know it today, was a Victorian innovation of the late 19th century. This was the first time that it became fashionable to wear the hair on the outside of the garment, as opposed to using it for linings or trim. From 1900, fur started to appear regularly in collections of leading French fashion designers such as Paquin and Poiret. The development of the motor car further increased the demand for warm, rugged fur coats to protect the driver and passengers. By the 1930s fur was also used in abundance by designers as trim for coats, collars and cuffs.

During the 1950s, designers including Christian Dior, Jacques Fath and Balenciaga started to experiment with less formal garments, exploring new techniques and breaking away from traditional fur coats of the early 20th century. The 60s and 70s took this experimentation to a new level, a trend that has continued through to the present day.