I mildly regret this...

So the video and pictures are rather graphic, and I apologize for this, but this is the reality of the mink, all for the final picture.

Video on skinning a mink

Mink Trapping 101

An article to consider

http://sammydvintage.com/vintage-style/fur-types/

1.) MINK

THE ANIMAL: Wild or ranched mink, a type of weasel which can swim at free will (referred to as “semi aquatic”) and is most commonly found in North America and countries of Siberia, China and Japan.

HOW TO IDENTIFY: Mink fur is flat and short and because the animal itself is tiny (imagine no larger than a common squirrel), the pelts are long and narrow when construed together to form the garment. The look of a mink piece is described as being almost“shiny and wet.” This makes sense since the animal can swim, so it’s almost as if the hair is like aquatic skin.

Fur is usually very light but still thick, and according to the Vintage Fashion Guild, dark mink is the most recognizable (see picture of wild mink above). Ranched mink are not born with dark fur coloring, so their fur is often dyed to different shades of browns and even white or a “silver blue” shade.

POPULAR VINTAGE STYLES: The definitive “mink coat.” While other animal fur is used for cold weather protective outer garments, the mink style is what I associate with Hollywoodglamor and luxury.

My grandmother passed down her mink stole to me (worn below). The trend of mink began in the 20th century after mink was trapped for some time in large quantities. Beaver had been more popular previously, as you’ll learn why reading how to identify vintage beaver fur below.

It makes financial sense why mink is associated with such glitz & glam: Because the minkanimal is so small, it requires dozens of them to make a coat or a stole. Thus the garment itself is more expensive than the same style made with a larger animal with larger pelts, like a fox.

Plus, mink fur is short and glossy, making mink the go-to animal for high-fashion pieces looking to radiate that luxurious shine.

VINTAGE MINK STOLE

Considerations for 9-16

09  must convey a specific meaning (a behavioral characteristic)

• avid hunter (muskrats, rabbits, mice, snakes, etc...)
• kills prey by biting it on the neck
• stores extra food in den
• carnivore
• good swimmer
• makes purring sound when happy
• very territorial
• males will fight other minks who invade territory
• does not stay in the same den for long

10  must express the texture of your thing

• super soft!!
• sharp, tiny teeth

11  hybrid (two or more designs cut and pasted into a new form)

• combine rose petals and calligraphy
• use pose of graphical mink (second from top, far left) with different styles

12  must explore making marks on “another surface”

• fur
• carpet
• hair
• wrinkled clothes
• wet towel

13 icon of your animal (think stereotype and cultural references)

• mink fur coat
• diamonds
• rich
• bred
• mink farms
• sign of wealth (through the ages)
• used in paintings
• soft

14 index of your animal (think of an insiring word: tall, long, wide)

• soft
• long
• fast
• fierce
• small

15 radical an extreme abstraction of your animal

• make tail super long
• elongate face
• extra long/curly/soft fur
• tiny legs

16  must be entirely typographic
     (use a word that sums up your animal, real or made-up)

• soft
• rich
• fierce
• long
• fast
• tiny
• fur
• wealth
• coats
• territorial

My personal favorites of the first set