Fabric Details:​​​
This section helps me gather details about the types of furs you'd like used on your fursuit.
I like to stress that not all colors are available in faux fur and even fewer colors are available in multiple fur lengths.
I do my best to choose furs and colors that are decently close to a reference sheet and look good together.
I like to use many different fur lengths the most, but this can mean I have to shave large sections of a suit. Shaving isn't always a good option (especially for shag texture furs and thinner furs), but it's something that can be discussed.​​​
Also, my phone is terrible with colors in pictures. I highly recommend purchasing swatches of the suggested furs so you can see them in person.
Faux Fur Types -​​​
Beaver/Seal/Super Seal/Half Shag
This has one of the the shortest piles when it comes to acrylic fur types - about half an inch. It tends to have a slippery, shiny appearance which is why it has been dubbed 'seal' and 'beaver' fur. It generally has a high fiber density and strong backing. It's great to use on ears, bellies, crotches, toes and fingers if you don't want to shave those areas. Due to its texture and length, wrinkles can appear easily and it can be difficult to make seams and zippers less visible. I personally like shaving this fur to use on faces due to the higher fiber density.
Picture from Howl Fabric
Picture from BigZFabric
Teddy/Bunny/Rabbit/Short Shag
This is a medium length acrylic fur - generally has a 1 inch pile. It's one of my favorite types of fur. It's short enough where markings appear crisp without needing to clean them up much, if at all and the fibers resist clumping while being worn. I like using this as the main fur type on a suit. The color library is smaller than luxury shag, but new colors appear every year.
Picture from Howl Fabric
Picture from BigZFabric
Luxury Shag/Eco Shag/Shag Fur/Punky Muppet
Luxury shag is by far the most common acrylic fur type. It usually has a pile length of 1.5 - 2 inches. This fur is called 'shag' because it has a clumpy, shaggy appearance. Brushing will help separate fibers, but it doesn't take much to get them to clump up again. This fur will also clump after being shaved. I like using this fur for long accents like hair, cheek fluffs, chests, 'happy trails' and other tufts on a bodysuit. Due to how many colors this fur comes in, I will also use it as a main fur on a suit. I prefer to not shave large sections of this fur on bodysuits due to its clumping nature.
Picture from Howl Fabric
Picture from BigZFabric
Fox/Luxury Fox/Deluxe Fox
Luxury fox is my absolute favorite type of acrylic faux fur. It has a similar pile length to luxury shag (1.5-2 inches) but it has a more realistic, neat and clean texture. It tends to have guard hairs and doesn't clump much, if at all. Unfortunately, finding unnatural colors in this fur type is very difficult. Deluxe and luxury fox furs have a higher fiber density than just regular fox and can be shaved. Regular fox fur is thinner and is best used for long fur accents and not shaved.
Picture from Howl Fabric
Picture from FursuitSupplies
Arctic Fox
This isn't a very common fur type, but it has a realistic texture and has a longer pile (2.5-3 inches). The most common colors are black and white.
Picture from Howl Fabric
Picture from BigZFabric
Monster Shag/Gorilla Shag
An extra long fur type - usually 3.5-4+ inches. It clumps like luxury shag and the fiber density is low with a thin backing. It's great for long hair, manes and extra shaggy areas. It can be found in many colors like luxury shag. I mostly find this fur on Aliexpress as opposed to US based companies.
The fibers of Monster are placed on the backing in circular clumps while the fibers of Gorilla are spread out more evenly like luxury shag.
Picture from Howl Fabric
Picture from Howl Fabric
Flokati
A long, wispy, realistic texture acrylic fur; usually 3.5 - 4 inch pile length. Comes in very few colors, mostly black and white. Not to be shaved but great for long accents with a lot of flowy movement.
Picture from Howl Fabric
Picture from Howl Fabric
National Fiber Tech (NFTech) Fur
This is an expensive and rare fur, but it can come in super long piles like 10+ inches. The backing is usually 4-way stretch and the fibers shed like crazy. It's great for hair, manes and mohawks. This company has started having many commonly used colors readily available and they sell leftovers from custom runs on hairymannscloset.com. Custom furs can be ordered from them, but it is pricy.
Pictures from NFTech
Stretch Fur
These furs tend to be short (a little shorter than beaver/seal) and are found mostly from Chinese and Japanese manufacturers. BigZFabric in the United States carries a medium pile stretch fur in a few colors. This fur type is heavy due to the elastic in the backing, but it looks great on bellies/chests/inner legs. You will see it commonly used on eastern Asian kemono style suits.
Pictures from BigZFabric
Picture from Gummy Shark Fabrics
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Here are some examples of how I use different fur lengths:
I always shave furs on faces and inner ears. I will often also shave fingers, toes, bellies and inner thighs.
I like to keep bellies and inner thighs on bodysuits short. It's a great contrast from the rest of the suit and shorter furs tend to not mat as easily. I will use a beaver/seal/half shag fur if it's available. If not, then I will shave a teddy or luxury shag fur.
I like using teddy/short shag as the main fur on a suit. It usually goes on the back of heads, on sleeves, torsos, legs and tails. If a color isn't available in teddy or short shag, I will use luxury shag on these areas instead.
Longer furs like luxury shag and fox are fun to use on necks, hair, cheek fluffs, shoulders, chests, elbow tufts and such.
If I have to use luxury shag as the main fur type instead of teddy, I can try to find some longer shag furs to use for accents if the client wants. ​​​​
Extra Fur?
Fur dye lot (color), texture and length can change over time, even if it's sold as the 'same' fur. I'm not sure if it's due to manufacturers trying to save money or if it's just difficult to keep these things consistent between batches, but this has sadly become more common in recent years.
I'm happy to purchase extra fur for clients and will send it to them with their completed commission in case they may want additional parts made in the future or want to be prepared for possible future repairs.
Anything Else?
Have questions about furs or want to give me more details about what furs/fabrics you're looking for? Here's the place to do that!