Competition from low-cost producers in Asia, criticism from animal activists, changing lifestyles – the challenges facing the Canadian fur trade at the dawn of the 21st Century are daunting. But fashion guru Richard H. is confident that Canada’s founding industry will prevail yet again. “Fur is back in the heart of fashion and it will continue as an important trend because fur satisfies our need for the comfort and security of authentic, natural materials in a time of rapid change and threats of all sorts,” he says.

Fur is the ultimate eco-fibre: natural, renewable, isothermic, soft, lightweight and extraordinarily beautiful. With modern dressing, shearing, dyeing and other techniques, fur can now be worked in an infinite array of colours and textures.

According to Richard H., Canada is also uniquely positioned to profit from the return of fur as a major fashion trend: “Fur is an integral part of Canadian history and culture, and Canada is also one of the very few countries to have all the links in the production cycle: trapping and fur farming, processing and garment manufacturing.

“Canadians have privileged access to all the best materials and technical expertise. This gives Canadian designers an extraordinary opportunity to take the lead with fur, much as French and Italian designers built a modern fashion industry on the strong foundations of their traditional wool and silk industries.”

In Canada, fur remains, incontestably, “The Fabric of a Nation”!