IFF’s Fur Futures bursaries are used to support the entire width and breadth of the fur trade, from furriers and designers to federations and schools. Supporting the next generation of fur fashion talents is one of the aims of the IFF, which is why it was our pleasure to help Milan based fashion school Caterina Da Siena. IFF was contacted by furrier and teacher at Caterina Da Siena, Paolo Consonni, this is Paolo’s story of how IFF’s Fur Futures Bursary helped his class achieve greatness.
My name is Paolo Consonni, I’m a member of AIP (Italian Fur Association) and a teacher at Caterina Da Siena. I want to start my blog by saying thank you to IFF for their financial support which allowed the fashion school where I teach to collaborate with AIP and work with fur.
The bursary was used by the students to create 3 colourful rabbit jackets, as you can see in the photos (above), they turned out beautiful! Leading up to the design and realisation of the 3 garments, we implemented a total of 3 fur courses this year, each lasting 14-hours for a total of 60 students. During this course the students watched videos of fur cleaning, fur techniques, tanning and fur breeding. The course taught students to know the difference between mink and fox, and all other fur fabrics like rabbit, karakuls and more!
During the course, we also debated the environmental impacts of the fashion industry and the relationship between fur and sustainability. In particular, we focused on the production or garments, which was very educational for students who engaged with the topic like sustainable fashion. The course also allowed students to engage with fur on a practical level. Before the production of the final garments began, students were offered workshop hours in an atelier which allowed them to learn the latest fur nailing and sewing techniques. The entire process was educational and enjoyable for the students and myself.
Again, I would like to reiterate my gratitude and thanks to IFF for their amazing support on this project. I hope we can continue to collaborate in the future, and introduce the next generation of fashion and fur talents to the magical fabric that is fur.