Finnish fur keeps pace with Chinese market

Pertti Fallenius, CEO of Saga Furs. Photo provided to China Daily

Pertti Fallenius, CEO of Saga Furs, a leading fur auction house based in Finland, recently came to Beijing to promote the company's corporate social responsibility report 2013.

Saga Furs is the only listed fur auction house in the world. However, consumers don't really know much about it as a material provider. Would you like to introduce a little bit more for us?

As a listed fur auction company, we mainly offer mink, fox and raccoon. We have more than 3,000 farms who provide for us. Our job is to categorize the fur and put them in the auction.

We have four auctions each year. More than 1,000 buyers came to us last March. Auction is the main sales channel for us.

All the farms have to be certificated. The brands we work with come from all over the world and they are very particular about the source of the fur. They want to make sure that it is ethically produced, which is why they choose us.

What do you think of China as an emerging fur market?

The fur market in China changes very fast. It is a huge market that includes different regional markets. In the big cities, the fur is more high fashion, like the Western market. But when you go to the third- and fourth-tier cities, you can still see the more traditional markets. Generally, the Chinese market demands high quality, as well as good design.

The colors and designs are also changing. One important trend is that China is using fur with different fabrics, just like the Western market.

Why did Saga Furs set up the design center? How can China become involved in it?

We work with a lot of design schools and students. We teach them about the fabrics, as well as how to use it in fashion design.

At the same time, we work with a lot of fashion houses. We also plan to work with Chinese fashion brands and share with them how to use fur in their products.

We also host lectures at the department stores about fur craftsmanship. We know the good designers and the good manufacturers and we can connect them so that everyone wins.

What are your plans in China as the market is changing so fast?

I first came to China in 1986. The market here has matured. We will add more talents in our China team. We want to find partners in China to share our experience of working with top fashion houses. Fur is more than just decoration; it is a material that can be widely used in fashion design.