One of my greatest pleasure in life has always been drawing or painting. My passion for art doesn’t  however stop there. During my career, I have created collections for well known brands and completed an internship in 2002, sponsored by the Fur Council of Canada at Saga Furs in Denmark. Working behind the scenes has always been part of my job as the workshop director and designer.  But for me, being able to express my creativity has always been the most important thing and this is what I have been doing at Natural Furs for the past years. I also have the privilege to work with private clients as well as local and international witch I love! – Robert Beaupré

In this visit to a tanning plant, we follow the process of transforming raw beaver pelts into a material ready for garment designers. First a worker sorts through the raw pelts to determine the type of garment they’re suitable for, and then hammers a lot number into the underside of each pelt. He then cuts out the ear cartilage. The pelts are dry because of preservation techniques used before they were delivered to the tanning plant, so they are rehydrated using chemical washes, including tanning chemicals. These convert the underside of the skins to supple leather that will allow them to be shaped into garments. All the washes cause the pelts to thicken, so they are thinned down using a flesher’s knife. This is a skilled process. One false move and you’ll cut into the follicles and lose fur. Next, the pelts are placed in a rotating drum of sawdust and mineral solution to clean and condition the leather. The furs emerge still damp, so they are hung over wooden dowels, leather side up. Now, a worker scrapes off the long hair to expose the downy undercoat, which has the most desirable look and texture. A generous amount of oil is rubbed onto the leather to lubricate it, and the pelts are then tossed into a “kicker box” which causes the oil to penetrate the skin. Next, a spinning metal wheel tugs at the pelt to stretch it. That done, a worker cuts away the edges, and it’s into the hot press. This irons and adds luster to the fur. After a quick brush, the pelts get one more press. Then a shearing machine cuts the hairs to an even length. And the pelts are ready for their trip to the garment factory!

"I have been passionate about art since I was a child. As I was growing up, sewing quickly became way to express my creativity. After a professional career shared between Toronto and Montreal, I worked in the film industry in the costume department for several years. During those years, I always found some time to sew and get creative in my own studio. My field of expertise and biggest interest has been, for as far as I can remember, leather goods. It is precisely because of a leather bag that Christina Nacos, VP of Natural Furs approached me. She had fallen in love with a bag that I was showing in a fair. This is how I joined the Natural Furs family as the specialist of leather accessories and garments." Peter Dawe, leather specialist at Natural Furs International.

This is the fur design studio of Centria University in Pietersaari in Finland. It was so nice to meet the students and instructors who are involved with this wonderful course. There aren't many courses around the world teaching the art of this highly specialized skill.

The sewing and finishing stages are done by experienced technicians using the same specialized tools that have been used for generations. Photo: Claire Beaugrand-Champagne, 2007.

Working with fur requires years of experience. In Montreal, skilled artisan George Pavlou, of atelier Noble Furs, uses a furrier's knife to cut fur pelts to fit a pattern on his blocking board. Photo: Claire Beaugrand-Champagne, 2007.

Musa Musi, John Zarifoglu and Arthur Arakilyan, of atelier Musi Furs. Photo: Claire Beaugrand-Champagne, 2007.

Participants in a “Fur Futures” program organised by the International Fur Federation, at a mink farm outside Toronto, April 2016. Left to right: Jacob Shanbrom, design student, School of the Art Institute of Chicago; sisters Rita and Rim Elias, fur designers from Montreal; Nancy Daigneault, VP Americas, International Fur Federation; Dustin Redus, specialist in fur garment alterations.

In 2016, fur design student Jacob Shanbrom and Montreal designers Rim and Rita Elias visited North American Fur Auctions (NAFA) as part of the “Fur Futures” program organised by the International Fur Federation. Here they are seen in NAFA's atrium. They attended seminars on mink grading and wild furs. Recalls Jacob, "I enjoyed learning the nuances that distinguish a good skin from a phenomenal skin, and loved learning that so much of the sorting process Is done manually, not by computers!" By Jacob Shanbrom on Truth About Fur - The Blog: "Fur Futures" has changed my life's direction. May 11, 2016.