Fur coats have again become a luxury: it is almost impossible to buy a mink for less than 100 thousand rubles

Demand for fur products has been declining for several years in a row.

The fact that fur coats are a squeak of old-fashionedness and the melted snow of yesterday has been said for more than one year and even more than one decade. Eco-activists on their own wave. The adherents of tradition, who consider the purchase of a fur coat to be the main event in a woman’s life, are on their own. However, the recent thirty-degree frosts have given supporters of classic fur clothing an undeniable argument: they say, minus five can be survived in a down jacket or in a modern coat with a membrane, but when minus thirty, you will have to pull a fur coat over a woolen sweater, and nothing else. It is not for nothing that from time immemorial the pride of Russia has been furs and soft junk – well, fur, if in modern terms. However, the statistics are inexorable; every year there are fewer sheepskin coats and fur coats.

The demand for fur coats has been declining for several years in a row, and every year it gets worse. Specialists from one of the financial analytical companies studied the situation on the market over time, from January 2021 to December 2023, and came to disappointing conclusions for fur traders.

During this time, the number of fur coat manufacturers decreased by 27%, and sellers by 26%. Very few new companies appeared during this time: despite the fact that in three years 570 companies were liquidated, only 225 were registered. Negative dynamics are obvious. In addition, the number of foreign companies involved in fur sales is decreasing, and this is to blame for the sanctions that intervened in our lives after February 2022. Most of the fur coats on the Russian market were made in China, and, despite the “turn to the East,” many retailers from the Middle Kingdom refused to work with Russia, considering the costs excessive. In addition, sellers and suppliers from the European Union “fell off”. In accordance with the sanctions, it is forbidden to import luxury goods worth more than 300 euros into Russia – but it is almost impossible to find even a fur coat or a sheepskin coat for less than this amount, so the question disappeared by itself.

By the way, last year experts noted that due to the introduction of these sanctions, fur production in Greece and Italy, those that supplied more than 80% of their goods to the Russian market, were on the verge of bankruptcy: the demand for fur coats in our country is unprecedented, and no one else cannot compensate Europeans for lost profits.

You can still buy a fur coat in Moscow, of course, keeping an eye on the general rise in price and exchange rate fluctuations. The classic dream of the average Russian woman – a mink coat just below the knee length and with a hood – can safely be called a luxury item: such a thing will cost at least 80-90 thousand rubles, but more likely 120-130 thousand (if you choose not the cheapest, but the one , which really fits). There are truly royal options in retail stores and online stores – long mink coats of a unique design and with the addition of other fur, which are sold for almost half a million rubles. And, judging by the warning lights on the website, a la “Last size left!”, they are being bought.

Meanwhile, a sheepskin fur coat would be much more suitable for the Russian climate; this fur is warmer, although it is harder to carry it on your shoulders. A long sheepskin coat today will cost 70–80 thousand rubles, and a short sheepskin coat can be bought for 30–35 thousand. Sheepskin coats have even more humane prices: a short one can be bought for 25–30 thousand rubles, and a long one for no more than 100 thousand. At the same time, you don’t have to choose manufacturers: either “Russia” or “China” are indicated everywhere.

The problems, of course, are not only sanctions; we cannot ignore either the change in the moral and ethical paradigm, which is now led by the ideas of environmental activists, or fashion trends. Stylists dictate: they say, if you want to continue wearing a fur coat and at the same time remain at least conditionally fashionable, the only way is to diligently pretend that it is not a fur coat. Choose the most laconic straight styles, without edges, hoods and belts. Well, it’s best to buy a fur coat made of faux fur and the most acidic color (for example, turquoise), in order to be guaranteed to protect yourself from suspicions about its naturalness.

As for eco-fur coats, or, as they are affectionately called, Cheburashka fur coats, their prices depend entirely on the reputation of the brand. The most affordable options can be found for 15–20 thousand rubles, but if you look into an “above average” store, you will easily come across a faux fur coat for 60–80 thousand rubles. For example, one of the young and ambitious Russian brands sells a faux fur coat for 170 thousand rubles. Well, why waste time on trifles? This is import substitution.

A popular scenario from the 2000s – buying a fur coat in Greece and bringing it here – is also relevant, despite the lack of direct flights. Despite the fact that it is prohibited to export luxury goods worth more than 300 euros from the European Union to Russia. The trick is that you can’t get from the EU directly to Russia: from Greece you either take a ferry to Turkey or a connecting flight through a third country. Well, you can import anything there. However, in winter there is a universal way – to put on a new thing, having previously cut the price tag.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29195 dated January 16, 2024

Newspaper headline:
No mink, sheepskin sold