From Kastoria with class

Konstantinou Furs, based in Kastoria, Greece, won the final bid and purchased the Black Swakara Top Lot at Kopenhagen Fur’s March auction.

Mr Athanasios Konstantinou from Konstantinou Furs won the Black Swakara Top Lot bidding DKK 1,000 per skin. He has been in the fur trade for 42 years during which he has brought home nine Swakara Top Lots to Konstantinou Fur.

- The quality of the Swakara skins offered at Kopenhagen Fur is in a class of its own. I’ve seen Swakara all over the world and Namibian Swakara graded at Kopenhagen Fur is by far the finest, he says.

He prefers working with Swakara because of the skill level required in the manufacturing process.

- We simply consider it to be more challenging than working with the more traditional mink skins, he says.

A global aim

At Konstantinou Furs, Swakara is the main speciality. They present their work to a global market, from fur fairs in Kastoria to Chicago and Hong Kong.

- We want to branch out and expand our key markets to South East Asia. Swakara is a skin type that, when manufactured properly and used in the right designs, will appear more form fitting and slender. It is unique and appeals to fur consumers who wish to stand out from the crowd, he adds.

International trend

Internationally, Swakara has seen extensive use in Europe and North America but the skin type is now gaining ground in Asia. Acclaimed designer, Wang Yutau, Designer and Fashion Director of the brand Beautyberry and its subbrand B+, has eagerly embraced Swakara in his collection which is targeted directly on younger fashion consumers in China, Hong Kong and the remaining South East Asia.

The next generation

Athanasios Konstantinou was trained by his father and now, his son Michail Konstantinou also continues in the fur trade. Just like his father, Michail Konstantinou sees potential and elegance in this skin type.
- I can make coats, sneakers, bags, dresses, pretty much everything with Swakara fur. Furthermore, I can use many different techniques when I work with Swakara. It is a very versatile material. I think it is the most elegant material for garments on the market, said Michail Konstantinou, when he purchased his most recent Swakara Top Lot at Kopenhagen Fur.