Top Lot brings Norwegian nature to China
The first ever Norwegian Type Top Lot brought a surge of energy to the room last Wednesday when it came up for auction at a quarter past eight.
Bids dashed around the auction room at Kopenhagen Fur, with many buyers making an offer, but Yu Ze of Gui Fu Ren Fur was determined to win the lot. He ultimately bought it for 7,500 DKK per skin (1,244 USD).
A large retailer in the China’s northern metropolis Harbin, Gui Fu Ren is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year and is excited to take home the first ever Norwegian Type Fox Top Lot.
“This Norwegian Type Silver Fox has very deep blacks with a strong lustrous feel and soft guard hairs,” says CEO Yu Ze, who came to Denmark just for the fox collection.
“Most fur garments are made of mink in Harbin right now, but we were attracted by the unique natural connotations and characteristics of Norwegian Type. We think we can use this as a good selling point in Harbin,” he says.
"Norwegian Type Fox also has uncompromised quality, which coincides with our own business philosophy."
Yu Ze hopes to expand the market for fox skins in China, with new and innovative styles that show off how just a small amount of Norwegian Type fox can have a big effect.
“There are more and more consumers wearing fox in China,” Yu Ze says. “We want to find a designer as excellent as the skins, that we can use to popularise fox even more.”
He says that Silver Fox is currently the most popular in the Chinese market and that natural colours are also popular.
“When we got to the auction house and looked at other foxes, we felt that they also had very good quality. So we will also buy some Blue Fox, Silver Fox, and Arctic Marble Fox."
Family Business
After decades in the fur and leather business, Yu Ze’s father, Gui Fu Ren founder Yu Chang Jiang, is still passionate about fur.
“I worked in the fur business since the 1990s. From 1993 to 1994, I was making leather and cashmere coats. After 1994, I started to transform the business model and sell fur coats through Gui Fu Ren Plaza."
He says that buying the Norwegian Type Top Lot gives him a chance to work with someone who understands that passion – Kopenhagen Fur.
“About 70% of fur garments we sell are made of skins from Kopenhagen Fur,” he says. “As the world’s largest auction house, Kopenhagen Fur is very active and influential in the Chinese market. We feel working together to develop new fox products will be beneficial for our strategic development."
Working with Kopenhagen Fur, Yu Ze is positive about the future for fur in China.
"The trend of future consumption is unique fashion styles, which is also what we strive to achieve. We feel buying the Top Lot will help us do that," he says.