Providing Quality Furs and Garments since 1978

Furs for Every Taste

If for many fur is synonymous with mink, it is important to know that in Canada more than 20 different sorts of animals are used for the manufacture of fur clothes: beaver, fisher, chinchilla,  fitch,  coyote,  weasel,  raccoon, rabbit, fox, muskrat, lamb, lynx, sable, tanuki, opossum, squirrel, nutria and ermine. For each of them, guard hair and underfur vary: they may be long or short, and within a wide range of colors, thus giving each its specific texture and touch.

If within those plain nuances, you still can’t find what you're looking for, note that fur may be dyed, shorn, plucked, leathered or even knitted... Beyond mere cutting, these different techniques allow designers to create more and more original and sumptuous coats. And fur is now centre stage in most contemporary fashion shows: there are more and more designers using fur in their collections- some of them now don't hesitate to include fur in their spring and summer collection!

Respecting Fauna and Nature

The Fur Council of Canada, which represents people working in all sectors of the Canadian Fur trade, has committed itself several years now to preserving and respecting fauna and nature. Following the instructions of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), the non-profit federation promotes a work ethic based on the notion of "sustainable use of renewable resources." To make sure that no endangered species are sacrificed, the Canadian fur industry only uses part of the surplus that nature generates each year. We realize with satisfaction today that after 400 years of active, sometimes intensive trade, there are now in Canada as many beavers as when Europeans first arrived. The abundance of fur animals in the country is directly linked to peoples' compliance with the government's strict regulations relating to the preservation of fauna and nature.

A Great Tradition in Quebec

Fur is undeniably one of the oldest traditions in Quebec. If,  as  anywhere  else  in  the  world,  first  nations  used  and worked fur for their autarkical needs, fur manufacturing was at the heart of colonial expansion along the Saint Laurent. French colonial development in the 17th century had from the start concentrated mainly on fur trade: when Samuel de Champlain, founder of Quebec City (1608) died in 1635, most of the 200 Quebec inhabitants dealt in fur trade, which was at the root of the colony's economic prosperity.

Until the mid-18th century, all Canadian economy revolved around the rivalry between the North-West Company, based in the Saint Laurent river area, and the Hudson Bay

Company, operating in the same-name bay. Thanks to its dynamic and wealthy port, Montreal was one of the most important fur trading centers. It is only later, in the early 19th century that the Canadian industry branched out to include export of lumber and agricultural products. Today the Canadian fur industry is still dynamic: it generates $800 million internally and derives more than $350 million from exports. It also provides 60,000 trappers, including many first nations peoples, with the possibility to continue their traditional way of life in remote rural areas.

Fur across Ages