Like many centuries ago, modern people in rainy autumn and winter days prefer leather and fur clothes. But few of them will be able to say thanks to the masters of which profession the skins have turned into exquisite furs. Furrier is an ancient craft, a rare and sought-after specialty today.
Where it came from and how it developed, its nuances and features - we will try to give answers to all these questions.
Why is that called?
Furrier is an ancient profession. Its name is derived from the old Russian word “speed”, which means “fur, raw skin or animal skin”. Such a specialist in the old days was engaged in dressing both fur and fur skins, and animal skin, from which hats, clothes and shoes were later made.
Today, it is customary to consider a furrier to be a craftsman who makes skins for furs, cuts and sews various products from them.
History of origin and development
The furrier craft began to develop even in those distant times, when cavemen began to hunt and use the skins of animals obtained as clothing. Of course, the first products of furriers were far from perfect, but this is how the methods and techniques for making furs were developed. Over time, people learned to process and use them as a bed and to protect their homes from cold air and moisture. In the future, man was able to teach and domesticate many wild animals until then. With the development of livestock farming, the processing of hides and the production of various things from them has become a separate branch of agriculture.
The ancient Egyptians used in everyday life various products made from dressed leather. This art was adopted by the Romans, who used various natural substances and materials for processing and dressing, such as various minerals, bark, seeds and fruits of trees and shrubs.
Over time, furrier work has improved and formed as a craft. Its development was influenced by the presence or absence of fur and fur resources, the traditions of the peoples inhabiting it and the level of skill.
Furrier art of Russia
On the territory of the Russian principalities there have always been many forests in which various animals with beautiful and warm skins lived. Of these, the ancient Rusichs not only made warm clothes for themselves, but also actively traded them with many foreign countries. It was the Russian masters who were considered one of the most skilled furriers. According to written sources of the time, martens, beavers, sables, ermines and foxes went on sale. Furs have long been the main article of Russian trade. They took tribute from the defeated peoples. To process the skins, natural components were used: the bark and leaves of various plants, minerals and even rye bread.
In the Middle Ages, fur was divided into simple and luxurious and determined the social status of a person. It was then that fur fashion arose and, accordingly, the first designers appeared. The furrier tailor of that time specialized in some particular kind: sheepskin or valuable fur and noble furs, skins of wild animals. Masters sold their works at specialized fairs and fur markets.
Profession specifics
Today, the furrier is a specialist who uses in his work both special devices and chemicals, as well as old processing recipes. But quite often masters of furrier crafts already work with finished skins, selecting and cutting those that are suitable for the created thing.
Large-scale enterprises buy raw hides, since they are cheaper, and even during the dressing process they can be processed as needed, for example, by laser cutting or dyeing.
Specialization
In the old days, a furrier was a station wagon, which both made and cut and sewed fur products. Today, according to OKPR (All-Russian Classifier of Workers' Occupations), the following possible specializations of such masters are distinguished:
- compositor;
- cutter;
- finisher.
The furrier-typesetter is engaged in the collection and folding, trimming animal skins according to the patterns and drawings, as well as applying special marks indicating their position in cut.
The work of a furrier-cutter consists in selecting skins by color, fur density and height, fitting patterns and directly cutting plates from various furs.
The furrier-finisher is engaged in processing the bottom, armholes and sides of the products, monitoring and correcting defects and defects of furrier works.
Large enterprises usually employ highly specialized workers, but in modern market conditions the master often combines all the specializations, from dressing to tailoring of finished products.
Today, furrier services such as repair and conversion of fur and leather products are in the greatest demand in fur ateliers.
Necessary qualities
A furrier specialist should not only be well versed in a variety of furs, but also:
- know the features of their processing;
- notice defects and skillfully correct them;
- have an artistic flair and taste;
- be able to produce, process, cut and sew them.
In addition, a good furrier is a person with a trained and developed eye, visual-figurative and tactile memory, since he needs to distinguish between similar color shades and texture of the material, clearly imagine the place of each piece of fur in the finished product. Accuracy and scrupulousness, perseverance and endurance are also necessary qualities for mastering this specialty.