So I was looking for a small leather accessory this afternoon and thought I would check out Hermès (http://www.hermes.com/). I wondered into their Toronto boutique and found some reasonably priced leather accessories, but then decided to explore what else they happened to have lying around. Thats when I saw a rather attractive blanket, which I promptly ran my hand through, only to discover what I can categorically say must be the softest fur I have ever had the pleasure of caressing. When I asked my salesperson the price, the expression in his face changed, as if, he was having tremendous difficulty uttering the figure without bursting out in laughter. Before telling me the amount, he went into a little story about how the animal is very rare (apparently it is a specially bred animal only found in France, and only sold in small quantities to French-owned companies as per their law). And then, he indeed confirmed that the price was forty thousand dollars. There was also a matching cushion, equally soft and lovely (but only half the size of a regular pillow) for $39,000.00
My question is, what might this animal have been? I believe the name started with an O…perhaps similar sounding to ‘urcourt’ or something like that, but I could have misheard. So far I’ve googled for rare french furs, as well as going through what I can find from Hermes catalogues, but I imagine its a rare item not really sold online.
So from what animal did this über-expensive fur originate?
Can you describe the blanket more thoroughly? Was it a blanket made of fur-on skins, or of spun fur or fiber? What color was it? How long was the fur? Was it very thick and dense, or thin and silky? Was it straight, wavy, or curly? Did the fur have any noticeable properties, other than being very soft, and priced at approximately half the value of my house?
As soon as I touched it, I was so overcome with the sensation that I ceased paying attention to any of my other senses, but I’ll try my best to remember as much as I can:
the furs were quite long, I recall being able to immerse my entire hand in it
I believe it had traditional Hermès colors (orange and white, with perhaps a few other tones thrown in) and presumably this coloration was artificial
I did not notice any skin
I’m reluctant to describe the natural density of the blanket as I don’t remember
I think the fur was ‘straight’
I appologize for being so vague, I think as soon as I learnt the price I took a few steps away from it so as to negate the possibility of damaging it in any way.
"Another breed of rabbit is the Orylag, which is farmed only in France. The Orylag is bred for fur and meat. They are slaughtered at ca. 20 weeks. It was genetically manipulated and developed by the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA). The mortality rate for caged Orylag is 25 - 30%, mostly from respiratory disease."
That’s gotta be it. Scarcity, France, “Oh-something”. Takes a lot of little rabbit furs to make a blanket, and if the rabbit in question is both an artificially created breed and sickly, plus slaughtered at a young (small) age, then you’ve got even more scarcity driving up the price.
And just to confirm it, I google things like “agnona orylag” and find a few references to hysterically expensive Agnona throws using orylag fur and cashmere.
It looks like they’re a variety of Rex, a common pet breed which are exquisitely plush. They feel like the softest velvet you could ever imagine. The price comes from the fact that it’s a very tightly controlled group of breeders who have registered their rabbits with a trademark. There’s a genetic difference, which they claim makes the fur even softer, which may be–I’ve never seen one. The photos on the website look like your basic rex, to me.
If that looks about like the consistency, you were petting $40,000 worth of bunny.
According to the above link (on a purse forum) the item I found is described as an ‘Orylag fur Troika throw’. Also, it would appear that I may have been wrong about the pillow, which according to that post, is a bargain at only $3995 rather than $39,000. However the blanket is indeed the price I had suggested.
Eyebrows 0f Doom: I guess I’m a little embarrassed to explicitly state what my conception of ‘reasonably priced’ leather accessories is (actually I was looking for a wallet, though I also found some nice watches that aren’t any more expensive than a common Tag Heuer piece) is, though I would qualify the statement by suggesting that the wallets simply fell in line with what I was expecting to pay at such a prestigious store.
Many years ago I put my hand on a real California sea otter pelt, and it was good in a way that made me want to stuff it down my pants and smoke a cigarette, and I thought ‘yeah, I can see how these were almost trapped into extinction.’
If you want really soft, silky (and ethical) fur, take a look and touch at New Zealand Possum fur. They are an introduced pest that damage trees, carry TB, and are in no way endangered. They have to be trapped with approved traps using cyanide, so no gin traps or other inhumane devices.
And their fur is so wonderfully soft. Google Possum fur nipple warmers (but not at work )
Also, there is a merino wool/possum fur mix fabric which is warm and light and wonderful for socks and scarves and gloves - just pricey. It’s hard to get the fur off the possum - they resist vigorously. :smack:
And a Possum fur throw will only set you back NZD4500, which is cheap in most currencies (~£1500 I guess).
You can drive the price especially high if your salespeople describe it as an animal rather than as a rabbit.
“This meat is harvested from an animal specially created, through thousands of years of selective breeding by artisans in the Near East and Europe, for superior taste and tenderness.”
Something that looks like one of these. A small version of a bear/man trap. A pretty inhumane way to catch the critters. Some fruit laced with cyanide paste in a plastic trap is more humane and damages the pelt less.
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