Fur coat disposal/sell

[Stratocumulus]

Before anything else …
Please don’t lecture me about cruelty to animals etc. I’m fully aware of all the issues surrounding the breeding and associated cruelty surrounding this topic and for that enlightened reason have not worn my coats for absolutely donkeys years. I can hardly bear to look at them now.

Many years ago in a different life I was bought 3 real fur, made to measure, coats. I’ve still got them stored away & in perfect condition.

Has anyone got any experience in dealing with the disposal of such garments. I can’t see myself standing at the local tip and dumping them. To me that would seem even more disrespectful towards those lovely creatures. I’m at a loss to know how to respectfully get rid of them.

Some wildlife rescues take them as bedding. Have a Google for UK based ones, there seem to be a few out there.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/environment/5035948/old-fur-coats-used-as-bedding-for-orphaned-otter-in-aberdeenshire/
This one, for example. Otters!

We donated them to a drama society for costumes.

I actually dj to have an issue with "old fur". People didn't know better then I also don't have an issue with it's use or re sale. However "new fur". Whole different ball game

I had to take my grandmothers to the local tip as I couldn't sell it. Nobody would list it or charity shop it. Same for some old ivory knicknacks. Seemed such a waste of a life.

If I'd known about the wildlife centres I would definitely have done that!

The trouble is, passing old fur on in any form* perpetuates the idea that it is somehow glamorous or desirable and fuels demand for new fur.

*except to otters ❤️

I’ll take them….

I'd find a specialist dealer in second hand fur and sell them, or donate them to be used as bedding.

So does fake fur, and yet there's a tonne of that around (and in my opinion it's worse as it's made of plastic).

Reenactors will happily use them. Pm me if you want help tracking down someone local to you.

I and many other historical costumers I know would happily take them off your hands for free/postage/a reasonable price/a donation to an animal charity, as you prefer.
It’s a dilemma when you are making costumes which would realistically have used fur - do you leave fur off altogether, which is misleading about the past? Use artificial fur which is not environmentally friendly? Or reuse real fur which would otherwise be destroyed? I used to think I would never wear real fur but now I am not convinced the last option is really the worst.

I wear mine, but I think am dram groups would want them

My local national trust house does re-enactment of an era that I cluded fur coats and I think they have some in their wardrobe department.

I'm pretty sure my local theatre group would also be able to put them to use.

Even in London it is very difficult to find a dealer. I have a coat, thanks to my DH's grandmother but she was such a tiny lady, the coat would have fitted a pre-teen, not your average adult.

I look up the otters.

They make fantastic bedding for cats and dogs.

Thank you all so much for your kind and non judgemental responses. I like the idea of bedding for otters so will follow up on that. I hope they’d be happy on mink and fox. (Just writing that makes me so sad for the creatures that died for the fashion at the time.) Thanks all.

I'd have them made into an amazing blanket/ throw.
Wish I could wear them though, they feel so amazing (obviously I'd never want a new one, but inherited the most fabulous fur trimmed cape from my grandma and it's nicer than anything I own).

I think having them turned into a blanket is a great idea if you can find someone to do that. But that’s because I’ve spent the winter layering up the bed so I can keep the heating off and I think a fur blanket would probably be really warm.

There are some places in London that sell them. Notting Hill area I think.

We snuggle on the sofa under blankets too so they would also work for that too, you could always tell people they are faux fur.

Look into adding some avant-garde element like dying the collar hot pink? Such a shame not to wear it, there's nothing as warm and snug. I used to have a nutria (water rat) jacket I picked up in what was then still the Soviet Union. Anything but high fashion but oh to still have it on a miserable windy November day on the Swedish coast.. Ironically nutrias are wreaking ecological havoc in parts of the German countryside as a result of fur farming 100+ years ago and authorities are desperate to round them up and reduce numbers.

There are a few places that will still take them in person and this one takes them via post if you're not in London

You could put them on ebay as an international sale, as other (colder) countries have more fur wearers than the UK you might be more likely to get a sale.

You could also remove any metal fastenings and bury them in the garden - fur is fully biodegradeable.

Also, for what it's worth, the animals probably didn't have as awful a life as is often made out - the first place any mistreatment shows up is in the state of an animal's fur, so even if they were farmed rather than wild, they would have been well cared for (although that doesn't mean to detract from anyone's feelings about the wrongness or otherwise of raising animals for slaughter).

Glad you decided to send them to the otters OP.