Cover Story
William Furs: Fur on Flesh Part 1 Well-kept fur has a life span of 70 to 80 years and can be remodeled or restyled. Nowadays we shear and color fur for the younger generation’s tastes and trendy styles.
HISTORY RTT: How did fur evolve from utilitarian use to a fashion statement for Americans? William Asmar: When this country was founded, fur was there. But the fur industry came into fashion in the 1930’s and 40’s. In Alaska, Canada and remote areas, trappers hunted the animals and used fur to clothe their families. They roast the carcasses in the winter to feed their families. Trapping became part of the settler ecology for food, clothing and livelihood. SAGA has been the industry leader for the past twenty years. They are the largest corporation in the world for fur manufacturing and located in Copenhagen, Denmark. They raise foxes and mink. SAGA brought all the top designers to their company to teach the proper cutting and handling and design of fur. Designers found that compared to other materials like leather, microfiber, wool and cashmere, nothing makes a woman look more glamorous, warm, and sexy than real fur. Now all the top designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci have gone back to trimming fur in their garments, collections and accessories. RTT: Did you research and absorb this history from your own curiosity? William Asmar: I learned the basics from Kurt and from Owen Bartell. He was a good friend of mine too and a furrier and very knowledgeable. But most of my knowledge and experience has come from my travels. Going to meet the designers in person. Shaking hands; knowing them and seeing what they do. I went to Montreal, New York, Hong Kong, Paris and Las Vegas to the biggest shows there called Magic and Market. So travelling to these countries and to those markets, I learned about design and about the new styles and what was in fashion. Every year we go, my wife Zalfa and I, and we see a lot of fashionable pieces. And we say, ‘Oh my God look how it’s beautiful. Do you think we should we buy it? Do you think it will sell in Reno?’ Because people think Reno is conservative, but not anymore. We have a lot of people moving here from California. We are growing; we have people who travel a lot and they know about fashion. Believe me when I buy those amazing and trendy pieces from Europe 20 Reno Tahoe Tonight
and I put them in my store those are the first ones to sell! I thought I would always need to stock the classic black and brown mink coats. They are still selling, but the fashionable pieces for the young crowd this is where my market is now—the unique stuff. So by traveling the world I can find the merchandise. RTT: Do you order in anticipation of trends or do you order based on preorders? William Asmar: I buy two or three pieces of a kind from each manufacturer—maybe fifteen or twenty coats. But if I see that one kind of style is selling I reorder that style. The best items now are the fun reversible coats, because you can have mink or beaver on the inside and leather or taffeta on the outside like a rain coat. So you are warm on the inside and protected against rain or snow on the outside. These coats are the best sellers. It’s more for your money. If it’s reversible, you can wear it in all weather, year round.
Services
William Asmar: We do cold storage of almost 3,000 during the summer. Fur should be in storage during the summer months. We have a very dry climate here. Furs will crack and shed if they are not stored. The good news is that we charge $40 per coat for one year…very affordable. If you have a mink coat that you don’t wear, you bring it to me and we can sheer it and make it reversible. Even if you want to change the color we can change it. We all know when we get older and it’s cold our fingers sometimes don’t function so well. We have found a way (and we’re the first store in the United States) to use magnets as fasteners. We also do brightening. RTT: What is brightening? William Asmar: We do brightening for the white lynx and white fox coats. Over time it oxidizes and turns yellow. We use a proprietary method to bring back the coat to its original color and luster using a proprietary method. We also do a lot of leather repair and leather cleaning on premises. We are the only company that does this in Reno. Our store has no competition in Reno. We have customers come from Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Utah, and California—from all over the west—they come here.