Premier fashion designer Coco Chanel once said that luxury was not the opposite of poverty, but rather the opposite of vulgarity. With this in mind, fur is undoubtedly a must-have item for any refined woman looking to add a unique, elegant and noble touch to her wardrobe.

Kopenhagen Fur, the world's largest fur auction house, believes that in today's fashion world, fur is not just about fur coats and jackets. It can be used for anything, including evening dresses, handbags, and even cushions.

The Danish company plans to extend this concept to China, one of the largest fur processing nations in the world. Kopenhagen Fur sells over 70 per cent of its products to mainland and Hong Kong every year.

"Simply selling fur skins to the market is not enough. We feel that we have to provide more support to our clients, to benefit them, but more importantly, to develop a wider road for the whole fur industry," says Torben Nielsen, managing director of Kopenhagen Fur.

The company plans to present new and innovative uses for fur on a regular basis. "We want to offer our customers new ideas and novel ways to expand the development of fur as fashion's most luxurious material," Nielsen says, adding that the company will open Kopenhagen Studio on Copenhagen's waterfront in May.

International designers, fashion houses, trend researchers and other creative people will be provided with workshop facilities, seminars and a wide range of other industry offerings.

The studio will also include a showroom with a permanent exhibition featuring the latest fur developments, as well as examples of the best and most creative fur products on the market.

"We are convinced that the fur trade should work to become part of the fashion industry," Nielsen says, stressing that fur should be just as natural a material for the fashion world as wool or silk.

This studio will be open to all of its clients on a regular basis, so that customers can follow the latest developments in technology and design. The company also wants to reach out to its Chinese customers, a move it refers to as its "retail strategy."

It recently started co-operating with NE-Tiger, China's top fashion brand. In November, NE-Tiger announced it would join Kopenhagen Fur's Purple Club, which gives it access to Purple Club quality skins. These are the best in the world and are only supplied to top international brands. NE-Tiger also has the right to use the Purple label on its finished products. Kopenhagen Fur will uphold its end by ensuring and promoting the exclusiveness of its Purple quality skins in China through this collaboration with NE-Tiger.

"The accession of NE-Tiger into our Purple Club is a big step for us in China and for our retail strategy," Nielsen says, adding that the company is committed to bringing the best fur and luxury products to Chinese consumers.

Nielsen says that NE-Tiger has been an important customer of Kopenhagen Fur for over 10 years, and its founder and art director, Zhang Zhifeng, has visited the Danish company many times.

"When we wanted to start the Purple Club in China, NE-Tiger naturally came first on our radar because it meets our requirements for Purple Club members."

NE-Tiger will be able to take advantage of the different types of services Purple Club offers, such as retail staff training, free marketing materials, and consultancy service on interior designs, shop layout and marketing.

Kopenhagen Fur will also invite NE-Tiger designers to visit and work in its design centre, to co-operate with other international designers on new ideas and initiatives.

Consumers who buy any NE-Tiger fur products with Kopenhagen Purple labels will also receive special gifts offered directly by the Purple Club in Denmark.

Up to 100 carefully selected retailers (or retail brands) will be offered membership in the Purple Club. These stores will be included in a prestigious circle representing the highest levels of quality in the fur business. NE-Tiger is the only member in China so far.

"Fur is the most luxurious material, brimming with lasting appeal and attractiveness. Kopenhagen Purple possesses the best quality," says NE-Tiger's Zhang. NE-Tiger represents the top end of China's fur market, but there are still a number of solid brands on the mainland.

Kopenhagen Fur is formulating a plan over the second half of this year to identify second-level retailers by offering know-how and expertise to them. This is part of a plan to make the brand more visible to Chinese consumers, Nielsen says.

"We will unveil our Fur Academy soon, which will get Chinese furriers involved. Our strategy is to let Chinese customers appreciate our high-end image by offering the best quality products, providing strong support to retailers, and emphasizing our trendsetting role in the fashion industry," he says. The company plans to form partnerships with about 10 clients in China. Target companies must have the vision to bring higher added value to clients.

China produces mink skin, with output of 8 million per year. These skins are not up to top international standards, however. Major mink skin production bases exist in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, North China's Hebei Province, East China's Zhejiang Province, and South China's Guangdong Province.

Kopenhagen Fur is the centre of the international fur trade, offering the best and most comprehensive range of skins. Since its establishment in 1930, the Copenhagen-based company has consistently been the world's largest fur dealer and auction house. It contributes 50 per cent of the world's annual global mink production.

Approximately 2,100 Danish fur breeders own the company. They deliver furs to the auction house every year. The auction house provides the company with about 90 per cent of its income.

Kopenhagen Fur offers four labels of different colours to represent four different quality standards. Purple represents the highest quality, the world's finest and most exclusive skins. The other three standards are Kopenhagen Platinum, Kopenhagen Burgundy, and Kopenhagen Ivory.

About 350 buyers come from around the world to five annual auctions (in December, February, April, June and September) in Copenhagen. Each year, more than 14 million mink skins, as well as fox, chinchilla, seal, sable, rex rabbit and karakul are auctioned off. Last year, it auctioned 16 million skins.

The world's largest fur provider also claims that it does a lot of effort to protect animal welfare. The company has researched and invested in the best possible conditions for its animals for decades. It has its own research centre, but also co-operates with the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural College, the University of Copenhagen, and the Danish Animal Welfare Society.

(China Daily 03/06/2006 page7)