All you want to know about faux fur in one page

What is faux fur?

Faux fur is also named fake fur, imitation fur, artificial fur, plush, produced by natural or synthetic fiber. According to the fabric weaving method，faux fur can be divided into weaving faux fur, knitting faux fur, flocking faux fur, and tufting faux fur. Knitting faux fur includes circle knitting, and warp knitting is the most comm production method.

History of faux fur

Fur farming has been banned in Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina (end by 2028), Belgium (end by 2023), Croatia, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, the Netherlands (fox farm ban 1995, chinchilla 1997, mink 2024), Northern Ireland, Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, United Kingdom, Norway (end by 2025), Estonian (end by 2026), Slovakia (end by 2025)

In 2019, California became the first US state to ban the sales of animal fur products. (beginning on Jan 2023). Other cities like Wellesley and Weston both at Massachusetts USA, San Paulo Brazil.

In June 2021, Israel became the first nation to ban the sale of animal fur for fashion purposes.

Anti-fur becomes the hottest trend in the fashion industry. In 2021, luxury brand Canada Goose decided to stop using fur and joined other notable labels, including Prada, Burberry, Versace, Gucci, Michael Kors, Giorgio Armani, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Tommy Hilfiger, etc.

Why is faux fur more popular than real fur?

Under hardworking animal rights and animal welfare organizations，more and more consumers accept faux fur as an alternative to traditional animal fur，which is used mainly in apparel, soft toy, accessories, and home textiles (like cushions, pillows, throw, blankets, etc.)

Compared with animal fur, faux fur is easier to sew and treat like storage and maintenance. Critics argue that synthetic is unfriendly to the environment. With the development of material technology, some leaders of faux fur manufacturers already find the answer. The most popular way is recycling polyester faux fur with a GRS certificate or solve with bio-based faux fur. (Vegan or sustainable, which one is better? )

Material

There is a wide range of faux fur materials from wool, rayon (viscose), acrylic, modacrylic, polyester, and other polymers. 

Wool fur

this manufactured 100% wool faux fur fabric mostly like shearling look and feel. It is biodegradable, odor-resistant, and machine washable.

Viscose faux fur

one of the significant advantages of viscose is biodegradable. The most popular item is the astrakhan look.

Acrylic and modacrylic faux fur

This is the primary polymer used in faux fur industries. Due to the combined properties of the fibers' cross-sectional shape, glossiness, fineness, and length, and the type of fiber, Modacrylic fiber (also named modified acrylic) are the best polymers that can reach the natural look real feel of faux fur. One of well know modacrylic materials is KanecaronⓇ from the Japanese company KANEKA.

Faux fur fabric composition:　60% Acrylic 20% Polyester 15% Modacrylic 

Polyester faux fur

increased a lot after 2018. The most attractive point is the price compared with acrylic and modacrylic items. Second, polyester can be sustainable while acrylic or modacrylic not. (How to make your faux fur sustainable?)

Faux fur fabric composition:　100% polyester faux fur

Weaving or Knitting process

weaving by face-to-face weaving machine

In this way, two fabrics are woven simultaneously. The distance between the ground fabrics is regulated according to the required length of the pile. As the textures pass forward, the pile threads extending between them are cut through a transversely reciprocating knife during the weaving process.

The woven faux fur can be used to weave various designs and colors by fancy warp thread and achieve the simulation effect on the surface of the faux fur fabric through the printing process. It belongs to high-end artificial fur fabric, but the production process is longer. It becomes weak when competing with knitting items, whatever in variety, production time, and cost. As the most enormous faux fur fabric production base globally, China has mainly used the knitting method.

knitting 

Circular knitting machine

including sliver and yarn feeding methods. The Sliver knitted faux fur and the loop cutting knitted faux fur are the most popular acrylic and modacrylic plush items globally.

Warp knitting machine - double needle bar raschel machine

The fabric is produced as a double-bar product and then cut through the middle and raised.  This warp knitting machine is suitable for acrylic and polyester. Now we are developing more and more polyester faux fur items as they are more competitive.

Double-needle bar raschel machines

tufting and flocking

Tufting is done by forming yarn loops on the backing fabric by stitching with tufting needles that carry the pile yarn through the backing fabric. Tufting faux fur is often used as rugs and other home textiles.

Electrostatic flocking is the process of applying monofilament fibers,  usually nylon, rayon, or polyester, directly onto a substrate fabric that has been previously coated with an adhesive, usually through the use of electrostatic equipment that electrically charges the flock particles - causing them to stand up. Flocking is an inexpensive method of producing faux fur. Still, the durability of the pile can be relatively low, as the anchorage of the pile fibers on the substrate fabric is limited and dependent on the bonding strength of the adhesive.

Dyeing, printing, and finishing process

Sliver knitted faux fur is fiber dye or dope dyeing, while loop cutting knitted faux fur is yarn-dyed, some piece dyed. As to warp-knitted faux fur, they are piece-dyed. After dyed, you still need to add on some special finishing like brushing, shearing, natural luster finishing, embossing, calendar finishing, etc. Also, printing, burn-out, tie-dye, discharge printing will fabricate a different feel and look.

Summary & future perspective

As an animal-friendly material, faux fur fabric is the proper substitute for genuine animal fur. Faux fur becomes more prevalent when people realize we must respect all lives.

At the same time, faux fur is a kind of fabric that simulates real animal fur and has improved visions, like better abrasion resistance, more exciting look, colors, and hand-feeling.

Third, with the development of textile technology, faux fur fabric can be sustainable and eco-friendly. 

Last and very important, faux fur is inexpensive and warm. Faux fur can reach the same look and hand touch as real fur, and the price makes it affordable for a different level of brands. Especially polyester faux fur is more competitive than previous acrylic and modacrylic.