QUARTERLY UPDATE
IN THIS ISSUE: FICA's 'Style Achiever' campaign
WINTER 2014-15
Asia and Eurasia showcase young design talents
Dubai Launch Asia & Eurasia REMIX IFF AGM & Council Meetings Interview with Metin Arkan, Chairman of KSIAD
Fur Futures meeting 2014 Who's who of IFF Head Office
On October 16, Moscow hosted the Eurasia REMIX and International Gala Show, organised by Russian Fur Union and the IFF. The winner was a young designer from Turkey named Zuhal Canyurt, who produced a very short, white fur garment, which was worn with an ornate black headpiece. The judges were impressed with the creativity she showed and the unique presentation of her garment. Second place went to Ekaterina Ivankova from Ukraine, while third place was shared between Anjela Bezroda of Kazakhstan and Nadezhda Shaulova from Russia. In September 2014, IFF held the Asia REMIX competition in the Kerry Hotel, Beijing. From the ten finalists who showed their garments, awards were presented to Ms Zhang You Chuan from the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology for Best Commercial Design and Ms Nami Hara from Japan, who won the Gold Prize. The winners will be put forward for the first round of judging in the International REMIX competition, supported by Vogue Talents, with the hopes of reaching the finale fashion show in Milan in March 2015.
CEO Comment The most recent catwalks around the globe have shown yet again how popular fur is with designers, but there are still some people who have the wrong impression of fur. This is why I'm thrilled at the success of the FUR NOW campaign, which IFF and Fur Europe have produced together, as it shows how colourful, dynamic and youthful fur is in 2014. We are fortunate that fur is trending so well, but those who have been in the industry for many years know the fickleness of fashion. That's why these adverts and our work with young designers are so important in keeping fur's contemporary image in focus via social media and fashion magazines across the globe. But we can always do better, so your feedback on the campaign is
important, as is your support. Please don’t forget to share the YouTube link and help spread the word even more. P.s. This is my opportunity to put on the record the enormous gratitude we all have for Juliette Bailey's lifetime commitment to the fur industry. Words like ‘irreplaceable’ are often overused but in this case I think we all agree she's an enormously hard act for anyone to follow. (With that in mind, we've included a who's who at the Head office of IFF, please see page 4).
Update from Eurasia region On September 10 2014, MosFur international exhibition hosted a seminar on "Status and prospects of development of the fur industry in Russia." It discussed the current state of the global fur market, the state of the Russian Fur industry, commerce, fashion, design and placement. The guests of the seminar were students and teachers from specialised universities of Moscow. On October 16, Moscow hosted the second international gala show of the IFF-Eurasia region. Incorporated within the gala was the judging of Remix Eurasia 2014. The winner was from Turkey, second place went to Kazakhstan and the third place was shared by Russia and Ukraine. All the winners have submitted applications to participate in the international REMIX final in Milan. On October 17, the Board of IFF-Eurasia met in Moscow, with the participation of representatives of IFF's Head Office; Steve Solley, Gorana Stojanovic and Kiran Mahmood.
Update from Fur Europe On October 6, the public notary in Brussels legally constituted Fur Europe. With the legal framework in place, the final piece of the merging between the European members of the IFF and the European Fur Breeders’ Association has fallen into place, and the road has been paved for a strong, united fur sector in Europe. At Fur Europe's Board meeting and strategy session in Brussels on October 6-7, the Board endorsed the Roadmap developed by CEO Martina Bianchini. The roadmap includes the development of guidelines to European fur farmers on management practices and progressing the work with a traceability and certification scheme that will combine WelFur and the Origin Assured label over time. Fur Europe will also join a luxury goods roundtable with leading design and fashion brands.
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IFF News IFF AGM and Council Meeting On Wednesday September 17, the IFF’s AGM and Council meetings were held at Kopenhagen Fur, Glostrup, Denmark. The meetings were attended by representatives from 29 different countries and included reports from the four IFF Regions. IFF CEO Mark Oaten introduced the new fashion-themed annual report, which resembled an issue of Vogue magazine. Highlights from the previous year include the successful set-up of the IFF Regions, the reversal of the Dutch mink-farming ban, IFF’s new Code of Conduct, REMIX 2014 in collaboration with Vogue Talents and advertising campaigns such as the reveal of global industry figures in The Economist. Delegates also received details of the Work Programme for 2014/15, a finance update
and a report on the communications work of IFF, followed by a presentation by members of Fur Futures on what has been achieved in the last year and projects they hope to set up for 2015. All participants left Copenhagen with a positive outlook on the year ahead and were looking forward to the launch of the FUR NOW global advertising campaign in October. Farewell to Juliette Bailey A number of events are taking place to mark the retirement of IFF legend Juliette Bailey. She has been the driving force and heart of the organisation for many decades and it's no surprise that fur traders throughout the globe want to show their thanks and best wishes. Apart from some private lunches and dinners, Juliette was also given a special award to mark her contribution to the industry at the last council meeting in Denmark.
Fur Futures discuss future projects in Copenhagen On September 16-17 2014, IFF held their annual Fur Futures meeting in Copenhagen, where 30 most interactive individuals from various different countries were chosen to attend the meeting, to discuss projects achieved in the last year and to develop new projects for the year to come. This year’s meeting included three different roundtables for the attendees to participate in. The topics were PR, wholesale & retail, social media, branding & e-commerce and supporting your choice of fur & how to succeed in the industry. The Fur Futures got the chance to ask the experts questions on their subject and gain some invaluable
knowledge to take with them back to their own businesses. The Fur Futures also attended the FUR NOW launch event, and had the chance to mingle with the IFF Board and Council members. The meeting commenced the following day and the group then moved on to discuss projects that we could complete in the next year. They all had different needs but said that they would benefit from sharing knowledge with a veteran of the trade someone with a successful business who is able to give advice for a new start up. IFF are hoping to develop this idea and turn it into an achievable project for the year to come.
INTERVIEW
Interview with Metin Arkan - Chairman of KSIAD
Why did you first begin working in fur trade? I come from Zeytinburnu, which was, and still is, the homeland of leather and fur business in Turkey. I had some friends who were involved in the fur business and I became interested in their work. I first started in 1996 with fur trimming, in partnership with one of the leading fur manufacturers in Turkey, called Recep Afsar. After working with them for two years, I started my own manufacturing company and have been Owner and General Manager of Royal Kurk ever since. What is your role within KSIAD? How long have you been there and what have been your highlights so far? KSIAD is the sole fur association in Turkey and was founded in 2004. I have been a member since the beginning, and was elected as a member of the Executive Board between 2005-2011. After a two-year break, I was elected as the Chairman of KSIAD in 2013. At the same time I served as the IFF Turkish delegate and after the regionalisation of IFF, I became a member of IFF Eurasia Region Board. At the beginning it was so hard to survive as a sole fur association in a market that was highly dominated by leather and doubleface manufacturers - as the latter were regarded as the only representatives of the sector. Thanks to our endless efforts, we succeeded in being represented in almost all unions, associations and chambers of the sector. Our recent remarkable success was our victory in IFF Eurasia REMIX in Moscow.
What projects do KSIAD hope to achieve in the next 12 months? Our association has attributed a great importance to the Young Designer’s Competition since its beginning, and we were pleased to yield another great result from the recent REMIX held in Moscow. We hope that success will continue on to the grand final of REMIX held in Milan next March. We also have a project in coordination with one of the Vocational High Schools in Zeytinburnu to open a course to train furriers in order to meet the needs of the sector. This is an exciting project that is taking the right steps towards securing a bright future for our industry. Finally, our main target is to abolish or significantly reduce the luxury tax levied on fur imports, which is one of the most vital problems we face. What is exciting you about the fur industry right now? At the moment, we have a traditional leather fair in Turkey called IDF (Istanbul Deri Fuari), but it does not include fur. Our dream is to arrange an International Fur Fair in Istanbul and see Istanbul become one of the most important fur centers in the world. The growth of interest by the leading auction houses like NAFA, Kopenhagen Fur, Saga Furs and Sojuzpushnina are promising signs that this dream can become a reality in the near future. Tell us something about yourself that nobody else would know. I have watched and read many films and books but I loved the 2003 film “Big Fish”, directed by Tim Burton and the book “Forrest Gump” by Winston Groom.
Update from Americas region The newest and latest development in the Americas is the unveiling of the new ad campaign by FICA. With a focus on spotlighting fashion’s “Style Achievers”, FICA’s 2014 ad campaign featured celebrity stylist and style architect June Ambrose, who makes the Red Carpet reachable for her over 600K social media followers and brings highfashion inspiration globally. The Fur Council of Canada’s truthaboutfur. com website is continuing to succeed and is increasing its web traffic. Since its launch, the website portal has climbed up in the ranking of fur industry websites, making it a must read for those wanting information about fur. The Americas ‘rapid response’ program, designed to effectively manage attacks on the fur industry by anti-fur extremists is gaining momentum and becoming a valuable tool in ensuring the fur side of the story is represented properly in media stories. IFF Americas members also held a meeting in chilly Chicago on November 17, 2014 to outline plans for the coming year. These include projects on wildlife management and trapping issues, fur farm security, legislative/ political issues and supporting fur fashion.
Update from Asia region On September 24, 2014, the Asia Region held its first Asia Fur Design Showcase Trilogy: Asia Remix, Asia Young Designer Showcase and Boutique Showcase. The event drew its curtain with great success. Around 500 people attended the event, which received a broad range of media coverage throughout Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and China. The estimated PV for all the news coverage is over 1 million. Shortly after the First Asia Fur Design Showcase drew to a close, the Asia Region launched the regional wide FUR NOW PR campaign, which will run until the end of December. This project will last for three months and cover news press release, online media, social media and print media. In addition to the above regional activities, Japan launched its one month long PR campaign in November 2014; China has continued working on engaging more of the young generation and promote positive image of fur via forums, salons and other forms of activities; Korea launched its new social and online media project and Hong Kong continues putting great effort on the government lobbying, media lobbying and CMT lobbying.
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Who's who at IFF Head Office
Mark Oaten, CEO
Steve Solley, Deputy CEO & Director of Security, Risk Management
MEMBERS NEWS Dubai launch
Mark Boyle, Research and Project Officer (left) & Mike Moser, Director of Standards, Welfare and Science (right)
Over 40 businessmen gathered in Dubai to help launch the latest IFF member association. With over 400 fur shops in the famous malls of Dubai, the fur trade has become an important part of the local economy as well as an opportunity for traders across the globe to benefit from the unique shopping experiences in this country. The association hopes to carry out fashion promotion and give a presentation to all IFF members at the council meeting in February so we can all hear about the opportunities in the UAE.
Gorana Stojanovic, Director of Communications (centre), Kelly Woolford, Web Content and Communications Officer (left) & Aurora Callaghan, Web Content and Communications Assistant (right)
FICA’s new advertising campaign In October 2014, the Fur Information Council of America launched their latest fashion advertising campaign – ‘Style Achiever’. The print/digital campaign celebrates the gamechanging impact of fur in the fashion world, featuring celebrity stylist June Ambrose.
Samantha Babister, PA to CEO and Deputy CEO (left) & Rebecca Ashmore, Office Manager (right)
Kiran Mahmood, Finance Director (right) & Christina Madge, London Account Manager (left)
Fur exhibition at Danish National Museum The Natural Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen is exhibiting 'Fur - An Issue of Life and Death', from October 4, 2014 until February 22, 2015. The thought-provoking exhibit is in two sections and shows the evolution of fur clothing, presenting historical and modern fur garments from the northern hemisphere. The museum challenges the visitors’ knowledge of fur with interactive activities such as workshops for children and contributes to bringing the fur industry closer to the general public. An eye-opening experience is an
infrared camera with heating elements. The camera tells visitors about different materials' ability to keep people warm, by showing the time it takes to make your arm visible on the screen (from 5 minutes in the case of fake fur coat to several days for seal fur coats). A section of the event is also dedicated to explain the fur farming and hunting process, and presents a balanced view of the other parts of the value chain, such as the auctions, dressing and dyeing and the manufacturing of fur garments.
For more information or to send us news: furtimes@iftf.com. www. 04
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The energy exuding from the “Style Achiever” campaign stems from the vibrant colours, mix of textures, volume and graphic play within the featured fur garments. The ad will appear in Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country and Elle Décor, and features Fall 2014/15 fur looks from designers including Helen Yarmak International, J. Mendel, Libertine and Mathieu Mirano. Striking fur home accessories and accents will also be featured throughout the layout. A growing trend in home design, fur is a great way to ad visual interest and warmth to any room.