Report from Kastoria: Greece’s Fur Mecca

Kopenhagen Fur was the chief sponsor of gala show at Kastoria, and led the show with a series of sustainable looks

Modelled on the classic fur silhouette, the coat is made from Jaguar, Brown Jaguar, and Black Cross Mink. The intricate fur pattern is a variation on the traditional furrier technique known as let out.

Featuring detachable sleeves and a collar, this style is constructed with Palomino Cross, Palomino, and Mahogany mink. The coat demonstrates an easy way to make a design without wasting any fur, as its pattern was made with straight 5 mm strips sewn into the fur.

Dawn and Natural Black mink give this classic men’s duffel style a fresh and new look.

An easy-to-wear stole made from Jaguar, Brown Jaguar, Black Cross, Cinnamon, Palomino, and White mink. The technique used on the lower part of the stole is designed to use leftover fur, where hair length does not need to be equal.

This elegant waistcoat features detachable sleeves and is constructed from Stardust, Jaguar, Mahogany, and Dawn mink. The pattern on the sleeves is based on a traditional furrier technique known as intarsia, where pieces are inlaid to make a surface pattern.

Greece’s largest fur fair took place last week from 3-6 May, and over 1,300 visitors from 43 countries came to buy, sell, and have a look. 

Kopenhagen Fur was there to get a sense of how business was going, and as the main sponsor of the gala show.

“There were more exhibitors this year than last year, around 125,” said Kopenhagen Fur’s Greece Area Manager Leo Boutis.

There was a strong presence of customers from Russia, about a third of the visitors, as well as attendees from Ukraine, Italy, and Turkey. Customers were especially excited by new visitors from Korea and Kazakhstan, which they took as a positive sign of interest from growing markets, according to Boutis.

Swakara coats were popular, as were wild furs, such as sable, lynx, and bobcat. Mink and chinchilla were the most widespread.

“Expensive items can move a little bit better than others when the market is uncertain,” Leo Boutis said.

“In general, vendors seemed satisfied. It was a positive result because there was interest and there were many visitors from around the world,” Boutis added.