The Return of the Fur Coat: A Commodity Chain Perspective

Abstract

This article examines the recent market repositioning of fur from a commodity chain perspective. It explores the transformation of the commodity chains of fur - from hunting to farming, as well as changes from a luxury industry characterized by the distant origins of the material and the expert craftsmanship that went into making the commodity to a designer industry in which exclusivity comes from the creative vision of a talented individual, but where production processes are based on industrial conditions. In addition, the article criticizes Gereffi’s simplistic distinction between producer-driven and buyer-driven commodity chains, and argues that alliances between producer organizations and fashion designers are characteristic of contemporary fashion. This alliance is examined in relation to the marketing organization for the Danish fur auctions, Saga of Scandinavia, which for the past 15 years has adopted the strategy of ‘pushing fur into the trend’.