Animals are trapped and shaved (The now hairless animal is placed in a climate-controlled facility until summer).

The hair is carefully attached to a synthetic leather backing, using a similar technique to that employed in wigmaking.

Repeat, profit, etc.
-- Alx_xlA, Aug 12 2011

Easier to farm the fur-bearers rather than trap them in the wild. Otherwise, [+]
-- Alterother, Aug 12 2011


I don't know how you are going to *attach* fur, one hair at a time on something as large as a coat. Wigmaking takes about 40,000 stitches to produce a head-sized wig, so I'd think these garments would be extremely expensive and quite tedious to make. (hence- not much profit)
-- xandram, Aug 12 2011


Perhaps a special skin treatment shortly before harvest could adhere the individual hairs at the base, so the pelt comes off in a single sheet when carefully shaved.
-- Alterother, Aug 12 2011


There is a simpler solution. First, coat the faux skin with a suitable adhesive. Second, make the animal either cold or angry, so its fur stands on end. Third, etc etc. Sort of like waxing.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Aug 12 2011


But then you get the root of the hair (the thickest, least- desirable part) facing outward. Also, many fur-bearing critters have what are called double- and triple-coats, meaning thier fur is made up of different types of hair, some short and fuzzy-soft, some long and glossy. These multiple layers are what make these furs so attractive and desirable, and would be completely destroyed by the 'waxing' method.
-- Alterother, Aug 12 2011


Hmmm. Fair comments.

OK, plan B. Paint the animal with wax, allowing it to soak through the fur to the skin. Now remove the (set) wax. Now paint the inside of the wax shell (the side formerly in contact with the now- nude animal) with a suitable liquid rubber, and allow to cure.

Finally, melt and remove the wax. Gadulka! You have the fur coat, with every hair anchored in the rubber base-layer in exactly the same orientation as it was on the animal.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Aug 12 2011


That's basically what I meant by 'special skin treatment', a non-toxic adhesive that would somehow pass through the fur and settle on the skin, without saturating or coating anything but the very base of the hair. I don't think such a thing exists, but it could work if only it would work.

Melting out the stripping wax is a clever variation, but I think the fur might be damaged by the heat. I've had a couple of rabbit pelts go all frizzy on me just from accidentally leaving the frames fur-side up when I was tanning them in the sun.
-- Alterother, Aug 12 2011


This may be a little extreme, but you could grow a new layer of skin on the animal but I suppose I wont be the same as normal skin..
-- nickthird, Aug 13 2011


We just have to engineer reptiles to grow fur and then collect the sheddings.

Simples.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Aug 13 2011


//the fur might be damaged by the heat//

One could always use ice, or even dry-ice, in place of wax. This would probably be fine for cold-tolerant animals like polar bear or snow-leopards.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Aug 13 2011


First, the sincere bit:

Interesting...

Now, the lame joke:

Let me know how that snow leopard farm works out.
-- Alterother, Aug 13 2011



random, halfbakery