Vintage Fashion Guild : Fur Resource : Rabbit

Rabbit fur is the long-haired fur of a rodent found nearly everywhere in the world. The look and feel of this fur is sleek, flat, and soft, varying from white to black with every permutation in between. Rabbit furs are often dyed or marked to resemble other furs. However in the 1970’s the fur was appreciated for its variety of beautiful markings and this appreciation has continued to the present. Names that were often used for this fur are Coney (Archaic) and Lapin (French).

Angora is from the downy coat of the Angora rabbit. Extremely soft and fluffy.
Comes naturally in all colors from white to black. Used mostly in sweaters, suits, hats, gloves, and knitting yarn. The angora fur can be brushed out or sheared from the rabbit.

Orylag – In 1985, two researchers at NIRA (National Institute for Agronomic Research) set out to develop a new fur that would be both technically ideal and ethically acceptable. For this, they worked on the Rex Rabbit, crossing, selecting and perfecting it until they created a new breed. The introduction of Orylag required 15 years of scientific research and enabled a fur with the attributes of being light, warm, soft, silky, fine (15 microns) and incredibly dense – 8 to 10000 hairs to each square centimeter. It is similar to Chinchilla in appearance and feel and has a natural luminosity with subtle tones that have attracted both furriers and the press.

Written by Pauline Cameron & Katie Kemsley