Premium quality Norwegian type changes market buying strategies
Jan Erik Carlson is no stranger to the fur trade. A fox expert, he has worked in the area for over 20 years.
These days, he is travelling to promote the use of Norwegian Type, Kopenhagen Fur’s premium fox brand, speaking to fashion houses, furriers, and brokers.
Already, he reports, customers have updated their buying strategies to include Kopenhagen Fur’s wide and varied offering of Norwegian Type fox. This luxurious collection will next be available in September, with 65,000 skins on offer, including 40,000 Norwegian Type Silver Fox.
We caught up with him in Copenhagen to talk fur.
Jan Erik, what would you say from your experience makes Norwegian Type so desirable?
This is probably the best fox you can buy anywhere in terms of quality and animal welfare, and that also goes to the heritage and the craftsmanship of the Norwegian and Finnish farmers who are involved. It’s a quality group of farmers who have gathered behind the Norwegian Type product.
What do customers think about buying fox in Denmark?
It’s a convenience that you can now buy foxes at the leading auction house in the world. Most of the big buyers in the trade purchase throughout the season to get a mix in their stock and to receive the right average price, and what we have seen is that these players have factored the Kopenhagen Fur fox sale into their buying strategy and will continue to do so.
How have manufacturers reacted to Norwegian Type?
I think the skins speak for themselves, and the trade has noticed this when they look at them. They are the best of the best.
I’ve just been on a market trip in London, Paris, and Milan speaking to customers. The product and the concept of Norwegian Type has been received very positively. People are aware of the product and they pay compliments to the grading.
Many have plans to come to the auction in September where there will be about 65,000 Norwegian Type Fox on offer.
What types of fox are they most interested in?
Silver Fox is a type a lot of customers want to work with, and many prefer the Norwegian Type for its look and ease of use. The crossbreed Norwegian Type Blue Frost is also extremely popular for its subtle blend of light and dark patterning. We will offer around 3,500 in September.
Many customers also want Kopenhagen Fur to cultivate products that are really special, such as rare Frost mutation types. Scarce colour types like Apricot Frost and Palomino Frost can make a collection very unique with natural undertones of ochre or tan, respectively.
What would you say to someone who is worried about volume buying?
While we have a small very high-quality selection, there are quantities within the Silver Fox and the Blue Fox, with an expected offering of nearly 40,000 Norwegian Type Silver Fox and 10,000 Norwegian Type Blue Fox in September.
It is clear that there is enough quantity here to become part of any customer’s annual buying strategy. It’s also easy to buy such types here, because you can mix and match with other purchases.
What do you think about the future of fox at Kopenhagen Fur?
The other fox providers in the market are not used to being challenged in this way, and they take it quite seriously that now we have entered this market with a quality product.
My own personal view is that it’s really good for the business to have more competition, to the benefit of both farmers and furriers.