'2 in 1' natural faux fur vest by heli miikkulainen-gilbert from finland

to achieve healthy balance between the nature and the artifice, the artificial ‘building blocks’ should only be mixed with the natural ones - not used alone - and be only used in the amounts proven to improve the quality and durability of the natural end result – a usable, comfortable and ethical product, a life time companion - of which a sample is my convertible, tufted vest.
it was inspired by jakuchu’s ‘birds and animals in the flower garden’ painting's beautiful cranes who, in the real life, are said to spend their lifetime with only one partner.
in terms of a display jakuchu’s six-fold-screen painting is more versatile than just a regular painting. likewise, my vest is functional ‘2 in 1’ piece; under the tuft, in the horizontal cut at the hip there's hidden a durable metal zipper which can be used to adjust the length of the hem to go with any outfit, in any occasion.
being a professional fashion & textile designer and also a very passionate maker i've hand crafted the vest from scratch by myself. at first a base garment is made ready from densely woven wool-cotton blend. then it’s tufted by using the traditional scandinavian 'rya rug' sewing technique - like jakuschu made his paintings by using the traditional japanese technique. this fascinating old sewing technique can be tracked down in the viking time. the history books tell that back then on their sea journeys the soldiers wrapped tufted woolen textiles around themselves instead of animal skins as the airy woolen rug was lightweight and kept them warm even when a swollen sea soaked them through.
the tuft yarn is soft 100% lamb’s wool, tightly twisted so that the threads won’t unravel at the cut. it’s also very strong; i made a tufted test coat – a convertible one as well - with it, by the same technique 11 years ago and i’ve been wearing it for last 10 winters as the hip-length version - in blizzard, drizzle, windy -30 degrees and damp10 degrees. i’ve also deliberately put the top under huge pressure, carelessly carried large baggage of which uneven surfaces have been heavily rubbing against the wool at the hips, arms and shoulders and stretching the base cloth into its extents. however the tuft looks still like new. when i zip the top panel and the only-a-few-times-worn hem panel together, no difference can be seen between them.
my vest is like a real fur vest in terms of its performance. the difference is in the detail, wearability and animal & environment friendliness:
- unlike in the genuine furs and the synthetic faux furs, in my design it's possible to capture a colourful, detailed picture of a crowned crane in the tuft – a timeless detail which, thanks to the tufting technique used, can also quite handily be replaced later by a less colorful crane figure should it start to bore the vest's carrier.
- the lining is thick polyester satin; it’s the vest’s artificial element that makes the otherwise natural piece well wind resistant and brings its durability up to everyday-and-year-after-year-use level.
- the wool yarn makes animal friendly ‘fur’; shearing the lamb for production of it prevents the animal developing skin infections.
- artificial-by-lining-only vest is much less harmful for the environment at the end of its life cycle than 100% synthetic faux furs.