Alen Cooper believes that original sheepskin is the ultimate in luxury. This material, which is exquisitely cozy and velvety to the touch, has been used to produce clothing for thousands of years. But as sheepskin shearling garments have gained popularity, a wave of fake sheepskin has flooded the market. As the name suggests, real sheepskin is created from sheep’s skin and wool. These are food industry residual byproducts that would otherwise go to waste. Premium quality Sheepskin is imported from Turkey by Alen Cooper.
Now that the market is full of fake shearlings, you must know how these are produced. Fabrics that look like sheepskin are typically constructed from synthetic materials like acrylic or polyester and backed with knit or woven fabric. This fabric is frequently synthetic; therefore, the manufacturing process has a significant ill-impact environmentally. Sometimes people feel that Faux shearling garment is not only eco-friendly but also ethical and cost-efficient. We urge you not to get duped by these false assumptions. Fake sheepskins are manufactured from plastic, which is created from oil. And we’re all well aware of the problems that come with it.
What is Fake/Faux Fur?
Fake fur, often known as faux fur, is a synthetic fabric designed to look and feel like real fur. Polyester and acrylic are the most often utilized synthetic fibers in the production of faux fur products, and a combination of the two is even more popular. These synthetic materials can be knitted, woven, or tufted, and they can even be combined with natural fibers like cotton or wool to make textile fibers. The cloth is then treated with heat and silicone resin in the last step of production to increase stability and soften the texture.
How are the shopkeepers able to sell such cheap shearling?
The tricking shopkeepers use low-grade wool and sheep leather to fool your skillful eyes. They mix and attach different wool and different leathers. They stitch the wool separately with the leather to give the appearance of genuine shearling. Oftentimes, to appear genuine, they use lamb leather and stitch it with synthetic furs. In original shearlings, the wool pelts and the leather are 1 piece, unlike the fake shearling lookalikes. Pure shearlings are never stitched separately. To further cheapen the price, they also sell used shearlings or defective products.
Why should you not buy cheap quality shearling lookalikes?
Beware of fraudulent shopkeepers
“Good work ain’t cheap, cheap work ain’t good” – Sailor Jerry
As a Customer, you are being duped by the seller when you are being offered a cheap “original shearling” garment. You must aware of all the hard work that goes behind creating a genuine shearling product. The extreme care taken to handcraft the product and use premium-grade sheepskin leads to its high cost. The price of a well-made shearling product starts from $500 and goes up. However, if you are told that a certain shop is selling good quality shearling garments under $300, not only are you being fooled by that seller but you are also endangering yourself. Synthetic fur is toxic to the skin and overall health.
Toxicity of fake fur and shearling products
As you can already anticipate, the process of producing artificial fur is not environmentally friendly. Faux fur cannot be called an eco-friendly fabric due to the use of petroleum-based raw ingredients and its energy-intensive finishing process. To make matters worse, the material is also regarded to be extremely harmful to our health and marine life.
The extraction and processing of petrochemicals such as coal and natural gas are crucial for the production of faux fur. To convert petrochemicals into synthetic fibers such as polyester and acrylic a chemical process is made to occur. The compounds used in this reaction process, such as terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol, are carcinogenic and have been shown to induce acute poisoning in humans, with terephthalic acid being particularly dangerous due to its xylene component. Xylene can be taken into the body by inhalation, food, and even skin contact, making its use in synthetic clothes particularly concerning.
Rashes and Allergies
When these toxic compounds like xylene are spun into thread, they become trapped inside the fibers, potentially entering the human body through skin contact with the fiber and causing a variety of health problems ranging from minor skin rashes to serious endocrine disruption. This is concerning because it applies to all traditionally made polyester. These materials can also trigger your allergies thus posing a great health risk. The chemicals used to process polyester, which included cheap quality dyes and detergent, are extremely harmful to your skin.
If you are wearing a cheap shearling coat/jacket, which unknown to you has been used before, you are vulnerable to all the diseases that the other person might have had.
So-called eco-friendly
The microfibers found in all types of synthetic textiles are another major reason why faux fur is dangerous not only to human health but also to the environment. Microfiber is a phrase used in the fashion industry to describe the microscopic particles of plastic that all synthetic garments shed after a few washes, which are absolutely invisible to the human eye. Outside of the fashion industry, however, we refer to these particles as microplastics: Plastic particles less than 5mm in size that can travel all over the world through our water pipes, contributing to our ever-increasing river pollution. While microplastics can be found in a variety of plastic products, including containers and personal care items, synthetic fabrics are clearly one of the main causes.
Faux fur is not biodegradable
Fake fur is created with dangerous chemicals, emits small plastic compounds, and adds to landfill pollution. While untanned real fur is manufactured from biodegradable and natural ingredients, imitation fur is not and takes hundreds to thousands of years to degrade. This implies that while your faux fur coat is sitting in a landfill, additional microplastics are being leached into the earth and even more emissions in the form of landfill gas are being released into the sky.
Fake Shearling Jackets / Coats are not insulating
Throughout the long cold and wet months, real sheepskin must keep an animal warm and dry. This implies that the material retains its warmth even when wet. Because synthetic sheepskin is less insulating, you will feel cold. The fake fur can never compete with the original fur in its retention of heat.
Fake Shearling Jackets / Coats are not water resistant
Unlike the original sheepskin and shearling jackets/coats, the fake ones are not water-resistant and will get wet. The synthetic fibers also don’t do well in humid conditions and become frizzy.
Fake Shearling Jackets/Coats are not durable
“All that glitters is not gold”
Fake shearling garments are not as durable as their original counterparts. Daily usage will affect the fake ones easily and would need to be replaced quickly. Genuine Sheepskin shearling attires stand the test of time when taken care of properly. Fake fur clothing appears cheap initially but costs you dearly in the long run. By indulging in fake ensembles not only are you wasting your money but you are also jeopardizing your health.
What to do instead?
Indulge yourself in the authentic shearling and fur attire from Alen Cooper. Immerse yourself in the feeling of luxury and opulence. Unburden yourself from the cheap toxic fake/faux sheepskin shearling fur and revel in durable pure apparel. Original shearling is made from a single piece, where one side is hide/leather and the other is pure soft fur. Protect yourself from the toxicity of fake polyester, acrylic fur, or used diseased shearling garments. Do not be duped by the tricks of cunning sellers. Educate yourself and make the better choice. Invest in the best quality sheepskin shearling coats/jackets from Alen cooper and celebrate the winter festivities.