WINDHOEK – All eyes are on the outcome of the Kopenhagen fur auction, scheduled for April 10 to gauge the performance of Namibian Swakara pelts. Namibia has been fetching record prices at the Kopenhagen fur auction over the past two years, and last year shipped pelts worth N$39 million, in a collection that was billed as the largest and most valuable ever for Namibia.
Last week Namibia shipped 68 500 Swakara pelts to the auction in Copenhagen, Denmark. Swakara pelts are sold exclusively at the April and September Kopenhagen fur auctions. At the previous auction held in the Danish capital, Agra sold 100 percent of the Swakara pelt offering, with the highest ever average price in Namibian dollar of N$2 534.54 per pelt for a bundle of white pelts and the highest price for black pelts in Namibian dollars of N$1 856.71. Results from these auctions time and again prove that Swakara pelts remains worthy of being called Namibia’s ‘Black Diamonds’. Kopenhagen Fur is the world’s largest provider of luxury skins and pelts. Garments carrying a Kopenhagen Fur quality label have been made from fur skins that are unrivalled in quality. Only skins sold through Kopenhagen Fur and graded by Kopenhagen Fur’s graders can carry the Kopenhagen Fur quality label. Swakara is the only type of fur outside Denmark to bear the prestigious Kopenhagen Fur quality label, although sorted and graded in the House of Swakara in Windhoek.
Dagmar Honsbein, Agra ProVision’s General Manager said Swakara is a unique all-Namibian brand and has been receiving global recognition for many decades. Agra is the sole marketing agent of Swakara pelts. “Visiting the recent international fur fairs attested its value in the market. There is also sustained high demand for our product. Thus, Namibian producers, current and future, have reason to pride themselves with Swakara, proudly Namibian and eco-friendly fur, from desert to catwalk,” said Honsbein. Representatives from Agra, the Swakara Board of Namibia, the winner of the Agra/Kopenhagen Fur Quality Award, Paul Steyn, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Dr Malan Lindeque and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Water and Forestry, Joseph Iita will attend the April auction.
Wessel Visser, Agra’s Manager for Social Business and Services, represented Swakara at the Hong Kong International Fur Fair, which took place from 25 to 28 February. The event is renowned as the largest and most important fur trade event in the world. “Swakara was prominent at the show with its stand attracting many international fur lovers,” Visser said. He also noted that Russia accounted for 30 percent of the visitors at this international fur show, making it still the biggest buyer. From March 4 to 7 Swakara was also represented at the Milan International Fur show – Mi-Fur, Italy. At both international fur shows, exhibitors were satisfied with results albeit at lower prices, as they argued that it opened doors for new markets. Swakara fur with its velvety texture has become designers’ first choice for garments and accessories. This was evident on international catwalks, where Swakara formed an integral part of designer couture by Karl Lagerfeld, Prada, Gucci and Armani, as well as vintage collections by Elsa Schiaparelli and others, in the recent past. At the Italian Fur Fashion Night, Swakara was witnessed in couture of four out of nine designer houses’ presentations, especially brown and white Swakara received recognition on the catwalk. The Agra/Kopenhagen Fur Quality Award, sponsored by Agra and Kopenhagen Fur, gives recognition to Swakara producers for selling high quality pelts over time. Paul Steyn, the 2013 winner was rewarded with a trip to Copenhagen to witness a Kopenhagen fur auction.
By Staff Reporter