Fur factory "Elena Furs"

History of the brand creation

The Elena Furs fur factory entered the domestic market in 1991. After the collapse of the USSR, the fur market was experiencing a turning point: the demand for quality products was growing, and the openness of the world's leading fur auctions made it possible to build a flexible pricing policy and purchase high-quality raw materials at an affordable price. During this period, it was decided to open the first factory for sewing fur coats from natural fur in Pyatigorsk. Nutria and mouton skins were used as raw materials. Over the course of several years, new workshops and factories for finishing raw materials were opened in Pyatigorsk.

In 2007, the company's management changed its development strategy and decided to enter the retail market. The reason was that existing production capacity could not keep up with the growth in consumer demand. High-quality fur products were popular not only in the capital, but also in the regions of Russia. The first retail store under the Elena Furs brand was opened in St. Petersburg on Nevsky Prospekt. In 2009, two more stores began operating.

To increase demand for fur products, the company refocused its plans to produce more mink fur coats. It was these raw materials that had the optimal combination of price and quality and were in greatest demand among retail buyers.

Elena Furs: brand history

Liked? Share!

Elena Furs: brand history

Elena Furs (Elena Furs, EF, EF) is a large Russian brand that combines fur production and a network of retail stores selling fur coats made from various types of fur. The Elena Furs fur factory specializes in the production and sale of products made from natural fur and is one of the largest manufacturers in Europe and Russia. The company has been operating on the market since 1991 and during this time has produced more than 1 million fur products. Today, production facilities are represented by factories in Moscow and Pyatigorsk, as well as workshops for the production of fur coats from mink, lynx, sable, astrakhan fur and raccoon in Greece. The retail network includes 22 stores in the largest cities of the country.

History of creation

A fur factory called “Elena Furs” began its activities in Pyatigorsk in 1991. The factory specialized in the production of fur coats from nutria fur, and then from mouton. During this period, many workshops and new factories were opened in the city for finishing raw materials and making finished products. Initially, the Elena Furs brand operated as a wholesale enterprise; a retail chain of stores appeared much later.

The decision to enter the retail market was made by the company's management in 2007. The reason was that the demand for high-quality fur products in the country was growing rapidly, and production capacity could not keep up with the growth in supply from retail buyers. The first store selling natural fur coats from Elena Furs was opened in St. Petersburg on Nevsky Prospekt. By 2009, the company opened two more stores. To increase demand for products, the fur factory refocused on the production of mink products, since they were the most popular among consumers.

In 2012, the first store selling fur products opened in the Russian capital. Currently, the retail network of the Elena Furs brand includes 22 sales points in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Nizhnevartovsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Surgut, Ufa, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Yakutsk, Arkhangelsk, and Yekaterinburg.

An important milestone in the company's history was the partial transfer of production from Russia to Southern Europe. In 2012, workshops for the production of fur products from sable, mink, lynx, astrakhan and raccoon were opened in Greece. The choice of region (Kastoria) is explained by the fact that it is Greek furriers who are relevant and popular all over the world. Some of the products are still manufactured in Russia: in Moscow and Pyatigorsk. The Pyatigorsk factory is considered one of the largest enterprises in the region.

Designers

The success and demand for fur products produced under the Elena Furs brand has been facilitated by established cooperation with leading European and world designers who specialize in the development of fur collections.

• Design studio Angelo Tsangaropoulos.
• Silvano Zoccio is one of the most famous designers working with fur and leather products for almost 60 years. For a long time he collaborated with the French fashion house Dior, then founded his own fashion house Silvano Modelli. Today the brand is known as Creazioni Silvano Zocchiio and is a benchmark in the development of fur collections around the world.
• Barbara Ravenni is the leading designer of the famous fur brand RinDi. A sought-after specialist who works only with serious customers. For several years, she took part in the creation of collections of products made from lynx, sable, astrakhan fur, and swakara. The quality and unity of style is emphasized by well-developed patterns and good fit of fur coats.
• Laura Strambi is an experienced designer and owner of her own clothing line and showroom in Milan. Takes part in the creation of collections of fur products from lynx and sable skins.
• Vanessa D'Amico is an aspiring designer by the standards of the fur business (working for the last five years), who has successfully collaborated with Prada for a long period of time. She took part in the development of a collection of products from various types of fur for the Elena Furs brand.

Fur auctions

Fur auctions are a source of purchases of high-quality raw materials, which are subsequently used for making fur products. Auctions are distinguished by a transparent pricing principle: based on the demand for specific furs of fur-bearing animals, which allows us to set an objective and fair price for raw materials. Unlike a regular auction, a fur auction operates for a long period of time - from a week to 10 days. The first days are considered preparatory, when the organizers carefully sort the raw materials by size, color, quality and type. Lots are formed from fur skins with approximately the same parameters and participate in the auction. Each batch of fur exhibited at a fur auction is entered into a catalog, which indicates the type of fur and the number of units of goods.

In addition to basic furs, fur auctions provide the opportunity to buy the skins of animals raised on fur farms around the world. The most favorable period for purchasing raw materials is February of each year. It is during this period that the best fur samples are put up for auction.

is one of the world's largest players in the world's famous fur auctions and has repeatedly bought the best lots at auctions. All received raw materials undergo a finishing procedure at the Italian MID factory, which allows us to use only high-quality furs for sewing products.

Over the past few years, the company has been a regular participant in the following fur auctions:

• KOPENHAGEN FUR is a Danish fur auction, considered the largest place in Europe where you can profitably purchase skins of Russian mink, sable, and chinchilla. Trading is held during January-February, as well as in April, June and September.
• NAFA is a Canadian fur auction held in Toronto in February-March, May and September. European and American mink furs are constantly put up for auction, the prices for which are noticeably lower than in Europe.
• FURS HARVESTERS AUCTION – fur auction in the Canadian town of North Bay. This is the only place in the world where consignments of wild furs obtained by trappers and hunters are put up for auction. There are usually 3-4 auctions held throughout the year.
• SAGA FURS is a Finnish auction in the city of Vantaa, specializing in the sale of arctic fox, fox, Finnish raccoon and mink furs. The second largest fur auction in the world (the largest in Europe). Trading takes place in January, March, June, September and December.
• "SOYUZPUSHNINA" - Russian fur auction in St. Petersburg. It is one of the world leaders in the sale of sable skins. The bidding period is February, April and September.

Awards

Throughout 2015 and 2021. fur products produced under the Elena Furs brand were recognized as product of the year in the Russian Federation.

Modern realities

Since 1991, it has manufactured and sold more than a million units of fur products in various price segments. At the present stage, the production facilities of the fur factory include workshops for processing raw materials and sewing fur coats in Pyatigorsk and Moscow. In 2012, additional workshops for processing lynx, sable, raccoon, astrakhan and mink skins were opened in Greece. Despite the transfer of a number of factories outside of Russia, production workshops in Pyatigorsk are the largest enterprise in the region.

On the retail market, the brand is represented by 21 stores in various regions of the country. Sales points for selling products made from natural fur have been opened in Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Surgut, Ufa, St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Nizhnevartovsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Yakutsk, Arkhangelsk, Yekaterinburg and Moscow.

Guarantee period

The warranty period is the period established by law or an agreement during which, in the event of a defect in the product (work), the manufacturer (performer), seller, authorized organization or authorized individual entrepreneur, importer are obliged to satisfy the consumer requirements established by the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights.

The seller is responsible for defects in the goods that arose before their transfer to the buyer. The seller is not responsible for defects specified when concluding the purchase and sale agreement, as well as for defects that arose through the fault of the buyer. The length of the warranty period depends on the type of product.

Guarantee period

is calculated from the day the goods are transferred to the consumer, unless otherwise provided by the contract.

Warranty period and service life for seasonal products

(shoes, clothing and others) are calculated from the onset of the corresponding season, the onset of which is determined by the constituent entities of the Russian Federation based on the climatic conditions of the location of consumers (clause 2 of article 19 of the Federal Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”).

Warranty for each fur separately for wear resistance:

• Products made from mink, lynx, sable, marten, lynx cat - 6 months
• Mouton products – 3 months
• Astrakhan products – 1 month
• Raccoon products – 3 months
• Products made from marmot – 1 month
• Nutria products – 1 month
• Hats – 1 month
• Accessories – 1 month
• Products from broadtail (astrakhan) - 1 month. (seasonal)
• Rabbit products - 1 month. (seasonal)
• Goat products - 1 month. (seasonal)
• Products made from fox – 3 months
• Bluefrost products – 3 months
• Products made from flaps—1 month
• Products using perforation or knitting technology - 1 month
• Keychain – 7 days
• Textile stoles and scarves - 14 days

Warranty periods for promotional items may also change. Some of the possible operational defects for which the seller (manufacturer) is not responsible:

• ruptures of leather fabric due to increased dynamic load, including due to the product not matching the size of the consumer and (or) the characteristics of his figure;
• the presence of fur abrasion in places exposed to intense exposure;
• differences in thickness, height, type of curls and hair color depending on the topographic areas of the skins in the product (formed naturally);
• yellowing of white and blue fur (a consequence of oxidation of fatty substances);
• the presence of puffs and peeling (pellets) on the lining of the product in places of friction with other material;
• aroma from the use of fragrances (perfume compositions) when dressing fur skins, etc.
• cannot be returned - fur coats are damaged by a chemical reagent (which is sprinkled on asphalt).

Warranty for each fur separately for wear resistance:

Products of inadequate quality must be returned from the date of purchase until the expiration of the warranty period. The seller is obliged to accept goods of inadequate quality from the consumer and, if necessary, check the quality of the goods. The consumer has the right to participate in the verification. In the event of a dispute about the reasons for the occurrence of defects in the goods, the seller is obliged to conduct an examination of the goods at his own expense. If, as a result of the examination of the goods, it is established that its defects arose due to circumstances for which the seller is not responsible, the consumer is obliged to reimburse the seller for the costs of conducting the examination, as well as the associated costs of storing and transporting the goods.

This warranty does not apply if:

• Operating conditions were violated.
• The product contains traces of unqualified repairs by unauthorized persons.
• At the initiative of the buyer, changes in style and accessories were made to the product.

Fur auctions

The Elena Furs brand is one of the largest participants in world fur auctions. Bidding at fur auctions allowed the factory to optimize production costs and select the best raw materials for sewing fur coats and other products made from natural fur. Over the past 5 years, the company has taken part in the following fur auctions:

• Danish fur auction for the sale of sable, chinchilla and Russian mink skins KOPENHAGEN FUR.
• Canadian Fur Auction in Toronto (NAFA), selling American and European mink furs.
• Fur auction in North Bay, Canada. The only place in the world where you can buy wild furs obtained by hunters and trappers at auctions at market prices.
• Finnish auction in Vantaa SAGA FURS. In terms of sales volumes of fox, Finnish raccoon, mink and arctic fox furs, this auction ranks second in the world and first in Europe.

• 
  Domestic fur auction in St. Petersburg. One of the world leaders in the sale of sable skins.

Assortment and collections

Today, under the Elena Furs brand, fur coats, vests, jackets and capes made of natural fur are successfully produced and sold. The most famous designers from all over the world are involved in cooperation, which allows us to annually offer original fur products. The EF Factory collection list includes the following options:

• "Mink. Classic";

• "Mink. Stylist's choice";

• “Mouton. Season trends";

• "Autolady";

• "Youth";

• "Big sizes";

• "Russian style".