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Real VS. Fake Fur

from Tusaayaksat Magazine – Winter 2019/20

from Tusaayaksat Magazine – Winter 2019/20, page 99

Heart Knowledge

FUR REAL, THOUGH. What's the difference between real and fake fur? We dropped by the Inuvialuit Cultural Centre (ICRC) to ask seamstress Lena Kotokak for some tips:

1. CHECK THE BASE OF THE FUR. If you see leather or skin, it's real. If it's threadwork, it's fake. "They have to put the fake fur through [it] and pretend it’s on the bottom. You can tell just by the material in the back," says Lena.

2. CHECK THE TIPS OF THE HAIRS. You may need a magnifying glass for this one. Are the hairs pointy? It's real. Are they cut straight across? Then it might be fake—or just sheared.

3. QUICK! BURN IT WITH FIRE! Take some hairs and burn them safely. Animal hair should smell like human hair when burned. Fake fur (likely acrylic or polyester) would not smell organic.

4. REAL IS HOT; FAKE IS NOT. Lena's got it down pat: "You can’t beat real fur…because it’s so warm! The fake fur’s just like—as soon as you make it wet, it’s finished. You’d freeze, literally." Stay dry, friends.