THE SEARCH TO FIND THAT ‘ONE OF A KIND’

According to EMC, a new emerging trend for us conscientious shoppers is the ‘One of a Kind’. A report titled ‘The New Consumer Behaviour Paradigm’, which was conducted by Retail Forward & Price Water Cooper US, explained how a move in the direction of 'recycling renaissance' was determined by a yearning from us consumers for the ultimate in unique.



With the fashion industry is seeing probably the most comprehensive mix of era’s to-date, there has never been a time where an individual had such an opportunity to play with styles and express their own fashion desires without awkwardly or negatively sticking out. While groups of friends see boho-chic walking comfortably side-by-side down the high street with glamour-puss and preppy boy laughing down the local with emo and rock guy, this year has been delightfully non-conformist. However, this new sense of freedom has come at a time when funds aren’t enjoying the same liberty but instead of retreating quietly, this lack of fashion restriction has inspired the innovators and sparked the search for something more.



The report concluded that even in such dour economic times, we haven’t lost our love of spending; we’ve just changed our attitudes on how we spend. The peer pressure to tighten those stylish and ill-affordable purse strings has spurned our own creativity in raiding the wardrobes and jewellery boxes of our near and dear and scouring charity shops for the slightest sniff of anything that could be deemed retro or dare we pray for too much, vintage. If you’re lucky enough to find them, the form these heirlooms came in, may then be altered considerably to create something fresh and new and uniquely you.



No longer are we tucking away Great Great Grandma’s ugly diamond brooch for a rainy day, we are having those diamonds re-set in rings, bracelets and earrings and wearing our future now. This want to see a more current value in antique possessions doesn’t just apply to those feeling the financial pinch, as Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, proved last Christmas on a ‘family’ church outing. Camilla looked resplendent in a very current Russian-style fur hat designed by Royal favourite milliner, Philip Treacy and when asked about the striking over-sized Cossack hat, Camilla responded that it had indeed been ‘recycled’ from vintage fur that had belonged to her mother. The Royal, previously lampooned for her lack of fashion, had firmly stamped her new style authority on the world as she managed to successfully tick two trend boxes in one go; going vintage and being on the cutting-edge of fur fashion with a widely admired original piece.



In a time of economic downturn, it’s usually the larger companies with their sheer weight and buying power that manage to stay afloat, while the cash flow-strapped smaller outfits silently sink but this shift in how we buy has seen an unusual and welcome change. We don’t all want items mass-produced on a global scale that bump into their factory brothers and sisters on a simple trip down the High Street; many of us want elusive items that scream ‘us’ as an individual, the unique local brand hand-crafted piece that creates your positive pedestal, the ‘one of a kind’ must-have that totally completes you.

IFTF is an independent international federation of national fur trade associations and organisations. Iftf is working for conservation welfare and promoting fur trade.