In 2005, Kopenhagen Fur established the creative workshop Kopenhagen Studio. The Studio is part of KiCK – Kopenhagen International Center for Creativity – and is situated in central Copenhagen. At Kopenhagen Studio, furriers, designers and students have an opportunity to explore and develop ideas and techniques for using fur. Kopenhagen Studio was founded with the objective of providing better support for fur design and innovation within fur use. To this end, some of the world’s most prestigious and established designers, representatives from other creative industries and up-and-coming talents are invited to work with Kopenhagen Studio’s skilled in-house furriers. Through these collaborations, designers get better insights into fur and find new, creative ways of using this exciting material. To further support innovation, Kopenhagen Studio also cooperates with the world’s leading design schools in training young designers and showing them the many possibilities of fur. These collaborations challenge the traditional perceptions of what can be made out of fur. The development of new techniques means that fur is now found in haute couture, prêt-à-porter and street fashion. In addition to Kopenhagen Studio in Copenhagen, there is also a Kopenhagen Studio in Beijing. Since the beginning both Studios have had remarkable results. Students from Tsinghua Kopenhagen Studio have won an impressive number of design prizes, while the results of Kopenhagen Studio’s design collaborations can be seen at the international fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris.
www.kopenhagenfur.com
Fur Techniques by Kopenhagen Fur 2015 • 2016
Fur Techniques by Kopenhagen Fur 2015 • 2016
At Kopenhagen Studio our creative furriers work each day to challenge the traditional perceptions of what is possible to make out of fur. In addition to the luxurious feel and the obvious qualities of providing warmth, fur is a very versatile material to work with. The possibilities are almost endless and it is tempting to say that the only limit is the imagination. With this catalogue of step-by-step techniques, we give you Kopenhagen Studio’s take on how current trends in the world can be interpreted into new fur techniques. You will find a variety of techniques; some suitable for full fur styles, some suitable for accessories and some suitable for combining fur with other materials. As the core of our daily work, all techniques were developed with a strong focus on craftsmanship and detail.
air
Air gallon is a very simple, but time-consuming technique that demands great accuracy. It can be used to enlarge the skin, but is also suitable to create surprising detail that is visible only when in motion. When used on sheared fur, the look is even lighter and more summery. 1. Place the mink on a board, and put the cutting board on top.
2. Cut grooves into the skin with a fur knife.
3. The finished technique.
slasher
This technique can take on many variations depending on the colors you mix, and is suitable for both downplayed and gaily colored designs. Use a big piece to get the full “Slasher� effect. The graphic expression of the slashes adds an interesting detail to the soft fur. 1. Mark out slashes on the leather side of the mink.
2. Cut the skin following the marked lines.
3. Cut out thin mink strings in different types/colours.
4. Mix and place the strings onto the leather side of the mink.
5. Stitch the fur strings onto the mink skin using a fur machine.
6. Moisten the leather side of the mink using a brush and some water.
7. Nail the skin onto a board.
8. The finished technique.
patchwork
Despite its somewhat heavy and fluffy look, this is a light and airy technique that is equally suited to both small surface areas and elegant details. Note that, although the model’s garment displays several different techniques, we are focusing here only on “Braiding”.
1. Mark out assembly lines on the leather side of two different types/colours of mink. These marks outline where the strings will be stitched together.
2. Cut the strings out of both mink skins using a 5 mm cutting machine.
3. Place the strings on a table, alternating their type/colour.
4. Stitch the upper row together on a fur machine, following the assembly lines.
5. Start the weave technique and join the strips together, two by two. Continue stitching on the fur machine, following the assembly lines.
6. A photo of the process on the fur machine.
7. Continue weaving until all the strings are connected.
8. The finished technique.
weave
This technique combines fur with a firm woolen fabric that can be used with a raw edge. The fur is faded into the fabric, creating a fluid transition, and the squares can be made in any size. This light and elegant technique shows how easily fur can be combined with other materials. 1. Design a pattern out of cardboard.
2. Draw the pattern on the fabric.
3. Draw the pattern onto the leather side of the mink.
4. Cut the vertical lines on the fabric.
5. Cut the horizontal lines on the mink.
6. Start weaving.
7. Attach the ends from the reverse side using the fur machine.
8. The finished technique.
perspective
This full fur technique needs a large surface area to properly showcase its 3D effect and sense of perspective. With the choice of colors playing an important role in adding depth, it adds a young and urban look to the fur style.
1. Choose mink according to the desired colour palette.
2. Use the cutting machine to cut 5 mm strings lengthwise of the mink.
3. Create a pattern.
4. Transfer the pattern on the reverse side of the mink, which will be used as the background.
5. Cut along the lines on the mink; this will be the background.
6. After the stitching, the hems are pressed flat using the rear end of the knife.
7. Sew the strings together into the cut lines: first the vertical, then the diagonal.
8. Finally, nail the technique on a board, using a ruler to ensure the lines are straight.
9. The finished technique.
grid
With its light and airy feel, this technique looks best with fuller fur styles, but it can also be used for small details on feminine styles. You can have reversible sides with this simple, but time-consuming technique if you use double face treated skins. 1. Choose a skin and leather that match.
2. Mark the reverse side of the skin with a 1 cm space across the skin. Also, mark a vertical line in the centre of the skin.
3. Cut both the skin and leather into 5 mm strings using a cutting machine.
4. To gather and control the fur and leather strips, use a colour-disappearing glue stick/pen.
5. Start by placing the leather strings on the sides and in the middle.
6. Stitch the first three leather strips onto the strings using a stitching machine.
7. The rest of the strings are placed on using the disappearing glue stick/pen.
8. This time start by nailing the technique onto a board.
9. Subsequently, moisture the skin.
10. The finished technique.
mosaik
This technique has many possibilities, though it is best expressed through a fuller fur style. It is well suited to using up small pieces of fur, as the squares can vary in size from 1 cm to 2.5 cm. You can achieve a playful effect using skins with different colors and hair lengths.
1. Preferably choose a firm skin for use with this technique, as well as a skin with a nice play of colours. Black cross (maybe even coloured) is particularly suitable for this technique.
2. After nailing the skin on a board, a 1.5 x 1.5 cm grid is drawn on the reverse side of the skin.
3. All the squares are cut out and put in to a mixed pile.
4. Once all the skin has been cut out, subtle lines are drawn on the fabric, with 1.5 cm gap.
5. 3 mm double-sided tape is placed on the drawn-up lines, to make it easier to handle all the squares.
6. Place the squares on the tape one row at a time in a random order. Stich them on using a stitching machine. Start from the bottom and work your way up.
7. The finished technique.
zig-zag
This time-consuming technique is beautiful in both tone-in-tone and colorful, though its effects look most impressive on large fur pieces. You can add a surprising and frisky element to the design by using skins with different hair lengths.
1.
Choose the desired colour palette, with approximately 5-7 colours/tones. After the skins have been nailed on a board, the strips are cut into panels, in different widths, from 1-6 cm. Arrange them in the desired order.
2. Stitch the panels together using the fur machine.
3. Once the panels have been stitched together, a guiding line is drawn in the middle on the reverse side of the skin.
4. The guiding line is used to steer the skin through the cutting machine. Cut out 5 mm strings.
5. Stitch the 5 mm strings together, again using the fur machine. The strings need to be staggered so that a zigzag pattern is created in the fur.
7. Nail the technique onto a board, ensuring the lines are straight.
6. Once all the strings are stitched together, moisten the technique.
8 Finally, remove the skin from the nailing board.
9. The finished technique.
In 2005, Kopenhagen Fur established the creative workshop Kopenhagen Studio. The Studio is part of KiCK – Kopenhagen International Center for Creativity – and is situated in central Copenhagen. At Kopenhagen Studio, furriers, designers and students have an opportunity to explore and develop ideas and techniques for using fur. Kopenhagen Studio was founded with the objective of providing better support for fur design and innovation within fur use. To this end, some of the world’s most prestigious and established designers, representatives from other creative industries and up-and-coming talents are invited to work with Kopenhagen Studio’s skilled in-house furriers. Through these collaborations, designers get better insights into fur and find new, creative ways of using this exciting material. To further support innovation, Kopenhagen Studio also cooperates with the world’s leading design schools in training young designers and showing them the many possibilities of fur. These collaborations challenge the traditional perceptions of what can be made out of fur. The development of new techniques means that fur is now found in haute couture, prêt-à-porter and street fashion. In addition to Kopenhagen Studio in Copenhagen, there is also a Kopenhagen Studio in Beijing. Since the beginning both Studios have had remarkable results. Students from Tsinghua Kopenhagen Studio have won an impressive number of design prizes, while the results of Kopenhagen Studio’s design collaborations can be seen at the international fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris.
www.kopenhagenfur.com
Fur Techniques by Kopenhagen Fur 2015 • 2016