Faux Fake Fur (Long Pile)

With the world giving more importance to sustainability and eco-friendly processes, making fabric out of real fur from animals is being highly discouraged in recent times. However, this is not an issue anymore since Faux Fake Fur is nowhere for the rescue! If you want to have all the necessary information gathered for this fabric under one roof, look no more as you are precisely at the right place.

What is Faux Fur?

In simple words, faux fur is fake fur and a type of textile fabric that is specifically fashioned to copy real animal fur. This type of fabric is also known as long pile fabric and is usually made using polymeric fibers. Making up this fabric includes processing the fibers, dyeing, and cutting them to match them with a specific kind of fur color and texture.

What makes Faux Fur fabric special is the fact that it resembles real fur to a considerable extent without having to actually take fur from various animals. The resemblance is so uncanny that the majority of the people will be unable to tell the difference between the real and the faux one.

Color and Texture of Faux Fur:

Usually, for the sake of simplicity, most faux fur fabrics are made with an 80/20 blend. Since faux fur is a synthetic kind of fabric, it can be made in any color and texture. With the advancement in technologies, a faux fur fabric can be made in almost any animal prints or color with such accuracy that you will be unable to find the difference between real and faux fur fabric.

Additionally, the manufacturers now successfully match the texture of the fur with real ones as well. You can find various faux fur with textures like real rabbit fur, alpaca fur, leopard fur, weasel fur, etc.

Uses of Faux Fur:

• It is used in home decorations like throws, pillows, bedding, etc.
• Fake faux fur is also used in stuffed toys like teddy bears and stuffed animals.
• This faux fur can easily be sewn on a sewing machine; therefore, it can also be used for various craft projects.
• It is also used in bags and purses.
• Many stores like American Eagle are now using faux fur in their mainstream teen fashion like sweaters and tapper hats.

How to differentiate between real and fake faux fur?

• First and foremost, check the base of the fabric. The faux fur comes with a knitted or woven base, whereas real fur has the hair attached to the natural leather base.
• You can also tell the difference by touching the fabric. Faux fur is a bit coarse, and when wet, it can stick to your hands. This is not the case for the natural fur fabric since it has a smoother and soft touch compared to faux fur.
• Check by sticking a pin through the fabric. The pin can easily move through the fabric for the faux fur since it has a knitted base. However, sticking a pin through real fur fabric can be difficult because of the natural leather base.
• Most of the fabrics come with marks that mention if the fur used is real or fake faux.
• You can also tell the difference by burning fur hair. The real ones, when burnt, will smell like burnt hair, while the faux fake fur hair, when burnt, will smell like plastics since they are made using acrylic and modacrylic polymers.
• The real fur can move even with a slight breeze. Try blowing very gently, and if the fur hair moves, you are most probably dealing with real fur and not faux fur.

Pros and Cons of Faux Fur Fabrics:

Here are some prominent pros and cons of faux fur fabrics:

Pros:

• Animal furs like fox fur, rabbit fur, etc., are pretty expensive to produce. Faux fur is a cheaper alternative since synthetic fibers are used in its production.
• Faux fur provides easy maintenance because the fur made of plastic maintains a shiny and soft look for a more extended period of time.
• One of the significant advantages of faux fur is the fact that it puts an end to killing animals to produce such fur and prevents animal cruelty.
• Unlike animal fur, a fabric made using faux fur is more versatile since it can be easily converted into unique patterns, colors, and designs.

Cons:

• One of the major cons of faux fur is that it is not environmentally friendly. The faux fur is made using acrylic and modacrylic polymers that don't break down quickly, while the real fur is biodegradable.
• The chemicals used while producing faux fur can be highly toxic for humans and the environment.
• There is a marked difference between faux fur and real fur when it comes to its texture. The faux fake fur's texture is much coarser as compared to the natural fur, which is known for the smoothness it has to provide.
• The real fur can easily withstand extreme weather; however, this is not the case when it comes to faux fur as it is not resistant to frost.

Tips to take care of Faux Fur:

• Avoid using brushes with stiff bristles. To get rid of debris and maintain the quality of faux fur, use soft brushes which do not ruin the furs.
• Store the fabric made with faux fur in a dry place. Since they are made of synthetic fibers, they can stick to each other in a wet environment.
• It is better to avoid direct exposure to sunlight since it can cause discoloration and ruin the fibers of the fabric.
• Placing the faux fur fabric among other garments tightly can flatten the fabric. Therefore, it is recommended to store it in a breathable bag.