Davenport Furs has grown from a longstanding love of vintage fur coats and a desire to up-cycle the beautiful creations of the 1940’s through to the 1980’s when fur couture was at its height. There are several companies out there selling fur items made from new mink, fox, rabbit etc. but that is not what we are about. We don’t want to increase the demand for new fur or promote in anyway further cruelty to animals.

However we do want to make use of the large quantity of otherwise unusable vintage coats in existence. Here at Davenport Furs we pride ourselves on up-cycling these into contemporary products that enhance fur’s natural beauty.

The attraction of real fur is in its touch, its feel, its three-dimensional quality and the way it plays with light and movement in such a way that cannot be matched by any man-made material. Some vintage coats are too exquisite to tamper with and may need little more than a repair to the lining or the sourcing of a vintage button. Others may have been custom made by the finest furriers with the finest female mink skins but can be a very unflattering shape, or have shortened sleeves that were fashionable in the mid century or over padded shoulders all the rage in the 1980’s.

Dismantling a coat can be poignant as some of the original coats have personalised labels and monogramed letters embroidered on the lining connecting them to their original heritage. The original coats were intricately sewn on a par with French or Italian couture craftsmanship. When working with these coats we found all sorts of history in the pockets, from original purchase receipts, some dating back to the 1940’s, monogrammed handkerchiefs, love letters and occasionally foreign currency like French Francs or Italian Lira.

Once the coats are with our furrier they are meticulously unpicked, pinned out on boards to re-stretch the skin and then hand crafted into our signature cushions and throws. It is up-cycling at its best!

Each Davenport Furs throw is completely unique. No fur skin is identical, so many hours are spent searching out the perfect coats in matching shades that can then be sewn together to make one luxurious throw. The backing fabric is carefully selected for each throw to compliment the tone and texture of that particular fur.

The cushion collection is made from a selection of furs – mink, sable, ermine, rabbit, Russian squirrel, musquash, sealskin and moleskin – all of which have their own special characteristics.

Some of the original coats, came with sumptuous fox fur collars which have been reshaped into ready to wear collars and cuffs that can be worn on top of coats, jackets or jerseys.

All of the fur items which have been upgraded by us are professionally cleaned and moth proofed before they are restyled.