Fake fur has become very popular for fast fashion garments or to lower the cost of clothing and accessories by not using real fur. It is also used to upholster furniture and is well known for giving the appearance of being real, but without having to sacrifice any animals. The problem is when it loses its shine. That is why we are going to give you a trick to repair it.
This fabric is widely used due to its versatility, as it is soft to the touch, and resembles real skin and leather. That is why it is used to make complete garments such as pants, jackets, skirts, shoes or accessories such as elbow pads, bags or applications.
What is fake or vinyl skin?
One of the problems with this type of “faux leather” or vinyl skin is that it is very fragile. According to Keller Cleaners, a dry cleaner with more than 25 years of experience, the base fabric is coated with a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyurethane (PU) material. It then requires the application of a softening agent (plasticizer) in the making to stay soft and pliable.
The downside is that when washing, the softening agents can dissolve, causing the fabric to stiffen during the cleaning process and the faux fur to begin to crack.
Another effect that washing fake fur can have is that, after it has stiffened, it will wrinkle, crack, or "blister." This damage is seen primarily on faux suede or leather goods, but can also occur on velvet or plush-look garments, and even on fabrics used in windbreakers, since they have the same synthetic base.
This problem is entirely the manufacturer's fault. This is responsible for ensuring that all components of dry cleanable garments can withstand the process. Well, neither the consumer, nor a dry cleaner, has any way of predicting or preventing the stiffening of vinyl-coated materials from defective faux fur during washing.
(Photo: Pexels)
Trick to repair fake skin
While there is no satisfactory method for restoring vinyl or faux fur materials that have stiffened during washing or wear, there are methods circulating on the internet that claim to temporarily fix the problem.
Fashiopatia, a YouTube channel with more than 170,000 subscribers, shares one of these tricks to repair fake skin that has been falling off due to cracks or friction due to use.
The materials needed to make this repair are only 2: white resist, and a marker, lipstick or pencil in the color of the garment.
White glue is used first, this will serve to settle the areas where the fake fur is peeling or lifting. With a brush, it is going to be applied on the fabric, trying to keep it the way it was.
Then comes the down or lipstick. This will help bring the color back to the areas where the faux fur has already fallen off and exposed the fabric. You have to try to use a down of the same color as the rest of the garment, but if you can't, a close one will suffice.
It is time to color the area with the marker. While it's still cool, apply a layer of glue to set the color into the fabric and re-adhere any fake fur that's still lying around.
A good tip is to go over just a little of the damaged area to homogenize the color with the rest of the garment and that the repair line is not visible.
And that's it, you'll once again have a garment or an accessory to show off.
Also read: Mariana Rodríguez shows you how to wear the same dress with tennis shoes or heels
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