Business of Fashion has reported that Kalyaev, one of Russia’s biggest fur retailers, is closing its factory. Kalyaev says the decline in Russia’s fur trade is to blame, and they will be selling their remaining stock.
In addition to their factory, Kalyaev also runs 20 retail stores in Moscow and Kazan. The company has not said what would be done about these stores, or if they will also close.
“Over the past two years, the world has changed tremendously. Some of [these changes] are not very pleasant for our business. Many high fashion companies began to refuse to use natural fur in their products. This has led to a wave of widespread abandonment of the cultivation and sale of raw furs around the world,” the company said in a statement.
In fall 2021, previously the biggest time of the fur trade season, Russia’s fur trade volume declined 10 percent. In comparison to pre-pandemic numbers, the fall fur trade was down 90 percent. While some blame shifting consumer preferences, climate change is also to blame as less severe winters decrease the number of shoppers who would even consider buying fur.
