Thao Ta
I am a graduate from Fashion Accessories design at Coventry University, and I have worked with fur but
with a very limited knowledge of this amazing material and that was the reason I applied for the program.
It was the honour that I was chosen to receive the scholarship for the first Discovering Fur workshop and I
was very impressed with all the activities. Coming to this workshop, I was asked not to make a product
but to use the existing techniques and modernize it by using a new innovative method. It was strange for
me as I was always asked to make shoes and accessories but I was up for the challenge!
Alongside the workshop studies were the visit to fox and mink farms. I have never been to any kind of
these farms before and the thing I saw there was the beauty of the traditional. Farmers were very proud
of their animals and they gave the animals such a good care. The animal’s food was carefully chosen for
them to grow healthy. Nowadays technology helps farmers to control better the number of foxes and
minks and information about their parents, dates of birth for the best fur quality. There was nothing
wasted in the farms as the animal fat is used to produce bio fuel. We also visited the tanning factory to
observe a process from raw material to a beautiful finish leather piece. It was a good experience to visit
the farms, dressing and tanning company because I understood that each piece of the natural material
was made with love, care and experience. Therefore, I used and will always use the material with love
and respect, not even a millimetre is wasted.
Back to the workshop, we were guided by prof.Basil Kardasis the Royal College of Art, London and lifelong experience furriers to discover the magic of fur. Prof. Basil also gave a lecture about fur history in a
friendly environment which helped the participants to understand about how precious is the material and
our responsibility to make the animal “ live” again.
We studied hard and also played hard. The staff organised social activities to visit Nanoq museum, the
first arctic museum in Finland and listened to listened to its founder, Pentti Kronqvist about his adventures
to Greenland and the Inuit culture.
At weekend, staff held warm dinners at the Finnish member’s houses and gave us such a relaxed time
and experienced in the Finnish lifestyle.
I had chance to chat with the chairman of the Fur Farmers Association of Ostrobothnia who gave me the
study scholarship stipend. We shared the knowledge between a young designer and experienced Fur
Farmers with a strong enthusiasm.
By the end of the workshop, each of the participants gave a short presentation of our progression
throughout the time. I discovered that fur has its own life and motion which I could not fully control but to
understand it. By drawing fur, I observed its movement and then transferred the drawings into fur piece
with a combination of Tyvek, a modern material. I was amazed with the result and it was a beginning of
my development!
The program was very intensive yet relaxing. It allowed me to freely imagine and make the possibilities
without the fear of final result. It was such a wonderful experience to work and share interest with friends
and staff in everyday activities.
PS: I love all the tea time, lunch and dinner that we shared together in Discovering Fur program
Thao Ta. ( Vietnam) October 2011