Why doesn’t China bring fur to the exhibition in Russia

And where is it actually hidden.

The Moscow exhibition takes place twice a year – in spring and autumn. It positions itself as the largest fashion event in Eastern Europe. The main client for the exhibition participants is the wholesale buyer.

The event features manufacturers primarily from four regions: Russia, Italy, Turkey, and China.

The key products here are made from fabrics, leather, and faux fur – natural fur is present, but quite rarely. This raises the question: why? Given that Russia and China are two major markets for fur products (and both are on the rise – China in particular), this question seems especially relevant.

To answer this question, we asked Mikhail Odintsov, President of the Association of Natural Materials, about the current trend in the Russian market:

Sellers from China provide an answer to the question, noting that orders from Russia for the production of fur items are insignificant; there are far more requests for faux fur and products in a lower price segment – and this has been the case year after year. However, this refers specifically to orders placed within the framework of this exhibition.

The Russian market is one of the main consumers of natural fur, so the very limited presence of such items at the exhibition seems paradoxical.

This leads to the conclusion that products made from natural fur are purchased by Russian wholesale buyers through other channels.

When asked where to look for Chinese natural‑fur products, Chinese colleagues point to Sadovod and the wholesale market in Lyublino – every Chinese clothing exporter and manufacturer knows about them. Apparently, this is where these products sell best.

It is clear that the Moscow exhibition, which positions itself as one of the leading events in Eastern Europe, is only losing out due to this situation: according to some participants’ observations, the number of visitors is decreasing every year.

To truly live up to its claimed status, the exhibition needs to change its approach and, by all means, attract manufacturers of luxury products to participate.