Does Faux Fur Really Compare to Real Sheepskin?

What is fascinating in today’s world is that not even 100 years ago if you were to build a house the materials or even tools would be different than today. Wood framing has been replaced with plastic and composite framing, particle board has replaced plywood, metal pipes have been replaced with plastic tubing and asbestos and lead has been banned from use. 

While these changes have done wonders for building houses progress still has a way’s catching up with natural products like sheepskin and wool. Fake or faux fur products have evolved, but since their introduction early last century the look and feel has improved but still there are differences between faux and natural materials like sheepskin.

While the look,quality and care has improved with faux fur underneath, there still are difference where true value can be the true difference between the two. 

But before diving into the pros and cons of Faux let’s look at its history and how it has become a mainstream use with clothing, auto accessories and pet care.

20th Century Product Evolution: Faux Fir 

Faux fur first came onto the scene in the early 1900’s, it was then a combination of leftover scraps from other fabrics like corduroy, felt, velvet and even carpets. At the time also real hair from other animals like lamas, horses, cows and sometimes even sheep wool was used.

The product of the time wasn’t as eye catching and it took a few decades before more synthetic piles were introduced and began production mainstream. By the end of the 1950’s more realistic faux fur was in production and began to have a more natural look. 

The 1960’s, 70’s, and into the 80’s faux became even more realistic and animal rights movements propelled it popularity mainstream. Cost made faux very inexpensive and production exploded. Some can also argue that the banning of fur farming in Europe and other countries also added to its popularity.

Environmentally also the banning of certain chemicals used with tanning make natural materials like sheepskin more cautious with the global consumer.

By the 1990’s and into today faux was mainstream, inexpensive to produce, and really an after thought with the consumer as thousands of products were now available.

Faux now has a very life-like look and feel in comparison to real fur. Most global consumers give second thought to the differences or if they still opt for cost over quality. 

Now that we covered the history of Faux and how it became mainstream while a century of innovation brought is this product, still there are many differences that separate it from genuine fur like sheepskin.

Highlights with Faux Fur:

• Faux sheepskin coats referred to as Sherpa
• Faux fur uses numerous chemical compounds in being produced
• Faux fur in being comprised of synthetic materials take a long time in breaking down sometimes upwards to 1,000 years
• Faux is washable in most cases and in most situations
• Faux fur tips have a blunt look where it has been cut during manufacturing

• Faux fur is glued to a base fabric that overtime can breakdown resulting in mass shedding
• Faux Fur can melt if introduced to high heat sources, it will also burn if introduced to flame
• Faux Fur does not help insulate and allow the body’s skin to breathe with ease
• Faux furs are not able to keep snow, sleet or ice from melting and refreezing on the fiber filaments
• Faux furs trap bacteria within its synthetic fibers

Real Sheepskin Benefits 

While we have highlighted many of the benefits of real sheepskin in previous post for example: “Fun Facts with Sheepskin” Sheepskin has been around for thousands of years

• Sheepskin is a breathable material that allows air to flow in and out
• Sheepskin wool fibers retain their loft remaining highly dense wool in comparison to faux which bends easy

• Sheepskin in being attached to the pelt doesn’t shed in comparison to Faux fur
• Sheepskin is nonflammable, it will not combust or melt when introduced to heat
• Sheepskin isn’t as easy to wash or clean in comparison to faux. ( You can learn more about cleaning sheepskin with the following blog article: “Washing and Wondering: Cleaning Sheepskin Products” )
• Sheepskin wicks away moisture and will not allow snow and ice to refreeze to its fibers
• Sheepskin will continue keeping you warm or cool in hot or cold temperatures
• Sheepskin as a material has a displaces weight evenly in comparison to faux

While the evolution of Faux material will continue and while it has come a long way these last 100 years it still has a way to go in comparisons to sheepskin’s thousands of years in evolving. From a cost perspective faux fur has found success but with value long term, sheepskin is still on top.