Valentino opened their Fall/Winter 2026 runway with a long mahogany coat cinched with a leather belt at the waist. The coat had a plunging V-neck and also sported popular balloon sleeves. The interesting part is the banding that runs down its length. Valentino wasn’t looking to mimic mink as much as they were mimicking the let-out construction furriers use to create their coats. To the trained eye of a furrier, it isn’t attempting to duplicate mink. It imitates let-out mink. Valentino creative director Alessandro Michele named his collection “Interferenze” which translates to “interferences”. He said in an interview that he is the interference. He explained to WWD that he designs garments “for a brand that does not bear your name, and this tension leads to what you are seeing.” What we do know is that coat was not mink fur. Valentino went out of their way to announce they were going fur-free May 2021 so viewers were left to question if that gorgeous coat was shearling or faux?

Fur outerwear from Valentino’s Fall/Winter 2026 “Interferenze” collection, designed by creative director Alessandro Michele. Photos: Abaca Press/Alamy.

Khaite, the women’s ready to wear New York label, showcased what looked like to be faux fur at the Park Avenue Armory on Valentine’s Day. One fur jacket design in particular stood out showing up multiple times in different colors: a cropped square shouldered jacket with long sleeves, one in black and the other in white spotted like lynx.

Burberry was seen taking the same route offering faux fur scarves, collars and whole coats. But not everyone went with faux fur. Some other brands used shearling in their garments extensively. Shearling is a skin, tanned with the wool still on, taken from an animal reared for meat rather than for its coat. That is why most fur bans don’t cover it. Brands like Prada and Ferragamo both worked with shearling this season. Only one of these two brands has a fur policy in place. 

The newest ban works on the same principle. In September the CFDA barred animal fur from the official New York Fashion Week schedule, defining it as fur from animals killed specifically for their pelts: mink, fox, rabbit, chinchilla, karakul lamb. Sheep reared for meat don’t meet that test.

While the runways were treating shearling like mink, the mink market has made a comeback, the best it has seen in over a decade time. During the March Saga Furs Auction taking place in Finland, mink prices have been seen to increase by an average price of 76 per cent from last June’s sales. The overall risen price range went from 30 per cent to 180 per cent depending on the type and color of mink. All 3.1 million mink skins cleared with a brokerage value of the entire auction reaching €220 million, fox included, the highest value Saga has posted in more than ten years.  

Buyers aggressively bidding in Finland’s 2026 SAGA Furs auction, where buyers compete for fur skins during the live sale.

The boost in confidence mainly comes from the Chinese market which had a great retail season this year. China may be having a good year in retail, but it is still unknown if that one market will be enough for fur to make a comeback. However, the price changes aren’t solely about China. There are fewer mink skins out there right now due to several farms in Europe shutting down, and more countries are following and banning fur farming as the years pass. As a result this affects mink supply because a 76 per cent price increase isn’t just due to higher demand. With fewer pelts available and the same number of buyers, prices are going to go up. “It takes time for skins to reach the cutting table. Maybe a few months from the time they were bought,” says Casiani, a fur garment producer in Greece. “Everything we cut this winter was bought in or after the March auction, but we held our prices for as long as we could and absorbed the increase ourselves so as not to spook the customers. The prices are moving up slowly now, because at some point they must reflect the real price skins” he adds. So, the 76 per cent isn’t a number on an auction floor anymore. Be prepared to find it on a rack this fall and winter. 

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