О Федерации

Vision

  • To reinforce Hong Kong's position as the world's No. 1 fur centre and premier exporter of high quality furs

Mission

  • To unify the Hong Kong fur industry
  • To promote fur as a renewable and biodegradable natural resource
  • To consolidate Hong Kong's position as the world's leading fur manufacturer and exporter

Becoming the world's No.1

The Hong Kong fur industry dates back to the 1930s when several experienced furriers left China to set up workshops and retail outlets in Hong Kong. Initially the trade catered to the increasingly affluent domestic market and later to tourists. Thanks to their expert workmanship, and support from overseas fur merchants, the Hong Kong fur industry expanded at a significant rate. Hong Kong is now the world's largest exporter of fine fur garments.

Hong Kong offer customers value-for-money, consistency of quality and reliability of delivery that are simply the best in the world. With the worldwide vogue for fur, Hong Kong furriers have continuously improved their excellent craftsmanship and explored new techniques that enable fur designers to develop new themes. New look furs – lightweight and colorful, dyed, sheared, plucked or knitted, double-faced or textured – showcase the versatility of fur as a high fashion fabric for all seasons with increasing appeal to younger consumers.

Establishment of the Hong Kong Fur Federation

In 1979, the Hong Kong Fur Federation was established to coordinate fur trade activities and promote its development. Today it is a thriving organization with over 150 members, representing the vast majority of the industry in Hong Kong. With the exception of fur farming, the Federation comprises members from all sectors of the industry, from raw material distribution and processing (skin dealers and skin dressers) to manufacturing and marketing.

Every year the Hong Kong Fur Federation organizes a programme of activities in Hong Kong and overseas to promote the fur industry. Empowered by its own ingenious flexibility and creativity, as well as with the full support of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council in various events, the Hong Kong fur industry has bloomed with flying colors. In the years to come, the Hong Kong Fur Federation will strive to uphold the statue of Hong Kong as the world's premier fur manufacturing hub and exporter through a comprehensive array of promotions and marketing activities.

The Premier Sourcing Hub

Since its inception in 1982, the annual Hong Kong International Fur and Fashion Fair organized by the Federation has become the most reputable event in the international fur trade. Being staged at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre every year, the prestigious Fair is widely recognized by global industry players as the most essential platform for sourcing quality fur garments and raw materials. This year, the Hong Kong International Fur and Fashion Fair was the biggest one held ever. Occupying a total exhibition area of 25,000 square metres, the full-fledged event attracted buyers flocking in from over 30 countries.

Nurturing New Talents

Another major annual event is the Fur Design Competition, organized by the Young Executive Committee of the Fur Federation. The aim of the competition is to kindle the interest of local design students in fur and thus recruit young, talented designers for the fur industry.

In 2009, the Fur Design Competition marked an outstanding achievement as the winner of the Competition won the Gold Prize in the International Fur Design Competition organized by the IFTF, it indeed provided an invaluable experience for our young talents to expose on the international fashion stage.

Penetrating Worldwide Markets

Internationally, the Federation spearheads the presence of Hong Kong furriers in overseas trade fairs and exhibitions, specifically targeting important ones in major export markets such as the annual fur fair held in Japan. In recent years, the Federation has also teamed up the collaboration of Hong Kong furriers with Japanese and US designers to create unique fur collections, and has successfully drawn worldwide attention to the ingenuity of the Hong Kong fur industry.

Aiming to further consolidate existing markets and explore emerging ones, the Federation also organizes a number of overseas fur missions every year. With recent destinations covering the US, Russia, and Eastern Europe, these missions have been fruitful in establishing a closer tie with overseas industry players as well as capturing first-hand market information.

On the other hand, the Federation has also organized fur missions to visit fur farms in Shandong and Liaoning recently, which enhances communication and information exchange between Hong Kong furriers and with their mainland counterparts.

Image Promotion & Publicity

On top of organizing overseas promotions and outbound missions, the Federation has also beefed up its marketing efforts in Hong Kong and the mainland to stimulate consumer demand. These encompass staging fashion shows and taking part in trade fairs organized annually by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council in Hong Kong and the mainland, as well as publishing gorgeous calendar for image promotion and extensive publicity. Targeting at the lucrative mainland market, the Federation has also launched aggressive advertisement campaigns to promote fur fashion in major fashion magazines.

In addition, local fashion seminars are organized to extend fur applications by designers and to arouse young talents' interest. Every effort is made to underline the versatility of fur as a major fashion fabric for international designers. Major initiatives include the participation in Hong Kong Fashion Week and collaboration with Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association in the "Designers Love Fur" project.

Extensive trade seminars are also organized regularly for members to keep abreast of the latest trade regulations and related issues. For instance, a seminar on Origin Assured (OA) Label was held last year to address manufacturers' concerns.

Meanwhile, as a business partner of the Hong Kong Education and Manpower Bureau's School-Business Partnership Programme, the Federation organized a fur seminar – Fur & Ecology – for primary and secondary school teachers to raise the industry's profile. Moreover, the Federation also sponsored a pro-fur education drama touring over 25 primary schools.

Collaboration is highly valued in the process of development. The Federation has maintained a close link with Hong Kong Clothing Industry Training Authority through the Fur Resource Centre, an information source for designers, students, manufacturers, merchandisers, consumers and the media.

Caring for the Community

The Federation is a responsible corporate citizen which believes in fully honouring its commitment to contributing to - and caring for - the community of which it is a part. As a socially-responsible organization, the Federation has made donations to many people in need. The beneficiaries have included survivors of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and the 2004 South East Asian tsunami, victims of the 2003 SARS pandemic and those affected by the 1991 floods in eastern China.

Since 1990, the Federation has established several scholarships in memory of significant furriers. Currently, the Federation runs three scholarships which play an important role in encouraging future talents to pursue a career in fur fashion design.

Professional Connections

Hong Kong Fur Federation is devoted to developing close relation with different local federations. Professional bodies of which the Federation is a member include locally the General Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association and the Professional Validation Centre of Hong Kong Business Section

In 2012, the Federation has successfully recruited over 80 members joining the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong (CMA) and established a “Fur Processing and Accessories Industrial Committee” in the Association. This truly facilitates external communication and long-term development of fur industry.

In 2015, the Federation further reinforcing the fur industry’s representation by recruiting more than half of its active members joining the newly established Group 29 “Fur and Leather Garments” of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI). FHKI is a statutory organization. It is keen to strengthen unity and development of various industries and has successfully established 5 new groups of different sectors in the same year.

Internationally, the Federation is an active member of the International Fur Federation (IFF). IFF is an independent and neutral federation of national associations and organizations representing all fur sector interests worldwide. Formed in 1949, the IFTF now has 49 member organizations in 38 countries across all continents.

Code of Practice

Our Association respects and work within the relevant rules and/or regulations of our region on:

  1. Animal welfare
  2. Environmental standards
  3. Employment laws
  4. Anti trust, bribery and corruption laws
  5. International conventions including CITES

Animal Well-being Charter

The members of the Hong Kong Fur Federation agree to:

  1. Stand against any cruelty to animals
  2. Respect well-being of animals used in our trade
  3. Endeavour to improve the environment of fur farms on issues of Animal Well-being
  4. Cooperate with suppliers that abide to local animal welfare laws and regulations
  5. Support mechanisms for International Animal Farm certifications
  6. Strengthen communication and the exchange of information among members on issues related to Animal Well-being

Industry Response to the Skinning Alive Statement

The myth that the global Fur industry skins animals alive have formed the basis of many of the animal rights activists’ campaigns in recent years. But like so much of what they say, it is completely untrue.

No reputable fur farmer would ever skin an animal alive - not only is it illegal and utterly inhumane, it would ruin the fur, put the farmer's personal safety at risk, take longer and therefore cost them money.

Videos circulated by animal rights groups that show this have nothing to do with the fur trade and the IFF CEO Mark Oaten has asked for people to send him any evidence on where they were made.

It is an unacceptable practice. The farmers in the IFF care enormously about the welfare of the animals and are absolutely committed to making sure we run to the highest welfare standards possible.

For more information, please visit IFF web site www.wearefur.com