Deon Schlechter
WINDHOEK – Last week’s 100 percent successful Swakara auction in Copenhagen was characterised by the numerous buyers from China who showed a great taste for white Swakara when Cui Biao, CEO of Oriental Lady, bought the Top Lot for an average of N$551.06 per pelt.
Oriental Lady, established in 2000, has produced its own fur collection since 2012, with stores in Beijing, Tianjin and Changchun. Biao said he bought the Top Lot because he wants to show the best quality of his products in this difficult period of the fur trade and also his craftsmanship in combination with fur garments. During the Kopenhagen Für auction in Denmark, 100 percent of the pelts offered were sold with a buyer from Italy getting most of the pelts, followed by a buyer from Greece, who is registered in the USA.
The average price for the auction was N$452.53 for an offer of 32 975 pelts, a decrease of two percent compared to the September 2018 auction where 23 326 pelts fetched an average price of N$462.42.
The auction consignment consisted of 18 952 black, 8 877 white, 1 830 spotted, 2 162 grey, 452 brown and 702 diverse pelts. The black top lot of 48 R Flat Lig selected extra pelts was sold for N$1 297.02 per pelt and the white Top Lot of 34 KF selected pelts was sold at N$1 599.66 per pelt.
The average pelt price for the black Swakara was N$461.63, an increase of 20.37 percent compared to the September 2018 auction. White pelts sold for an average of N$551.06, a decrease of 21.85 percent compared to September 2018.
Spotted pelts sold for N$313.45, an increase of 38.84 percent compared to September 2018, brown pelts sold at N$426.36 and grey pelts at N$269.99.
The Namibian producer with the highest pelts average for more than 250 pelts marketed was Raynold Losper, with an average price of N$712.04 for 400 pelts.
Due to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in South Africa, the South African producers were unable to offer their pelts at the auction. In a long-term perspective, the dream for Oriental Lady is to create a Capsule Collection within the frame of “The Star Project” with Kopenhagen Für, a collection that will display the many innovative and exclusive possibilities of both mink and Swakara to the consumers.
Broker Andreas Kletsidis bought the Black Swakara Top Lot for Konstantinou Furs.
Konstantinou Furs, established in 1963, specialises in Swakara. Mike Konstantinou holds a manufacturing company and a fur shop in Kastoria and also a webshop, shop.konstantinoufurs.com.
The Top Lot will be used for a style in the next A/W collection and will be displayed at the fairs in Hong Kong, Milan, Chicago and Kastoria. He bought this Top Lot because he wants to show the good quality of his products in this difficult period of the fur trade.
Konstantinou also thanked the Namibian Swakara Board for giving permission to his company to be the official ambassador of Swakara during 2018.