Three generations caught in trappings of luxury

Jennifer Fong, 22, the granddaughter of Hong Kong's first furrier, Stephen Fong Sun-tou, works in the family business in Central, the Siberian Fur Store.

Famous customers have included members of several royal families, actor Larry Hagman and singer Bing Crosby. The store's most expensive item is a full-length sable that carries a $1 million price tag.

Jennifer recently graduated from the University of California in Los Angeles where she studied fine arts. She is a fashion photographer, but has her sights set on a career in design.

What's on your mind? I've just finished my first line, which is exciting. It's coming out in the next couple of weeks. I've used velvet trimmed with chinchilla and fox. It's really luxurious, but less heavy so it's better for Hong Kong.

I've always wanted to design, probably because I was exposed to it so much when I was growing up. Isn't it a bit hot to wear fur? When my grandfather started the company in 1935 nobody thought it would work because it's too hot here. But he was very persistent. He saw the potential. The Cantonese had no idea about fur so it had a novelty value. They took to it very fast. In the 1960s a lot of GIs in the Vietnam War bought furs here during stopovers.

Trade goes down by about half in the summer, but we still get a lot of tourists. People wear fur in Hong Kong for beauty and abroad for warmth. A lot of people are emigrating to Canada. They also buy furs for trips to Europe or China.

What's so special about fur? It's warm, very luxurious and very soft. Nothing can replace it. Synthetics are too rough. I had my first fur when I was 14 when I went to Europe, because you really need it in the winter there. Here I wear capes with fur trimmings.

'It takes up to 40 dumb animals to make a fur coat, but only one to wear it' (anti-fur campaign slogan) - do you agree? Wearing fur is the same as wearing leather shoes. Other cultures use fur. They eat the meat and use the pelts to keep warm - it's very natural. I think it's just a small minority who are anti-fur - a few vegetarians. The anti-fur movement has really passed now. People are tired of listening to people telling them what to wear and what not to wear. I just wear whatever looks beautiful.

Is it cruel? The animals are all from ranches. I've heard about people liberating minks from ranches, but I think that's extreme. Fur is more environmentally friendly than synthetic materials. It can last 100 years, but it's a natural fabric and perishes naturally.

For the last few years business has not been so good. The ranches over-produced mink. The price went down. A lot of ranches could not afford to keep going and killed their stock. Now the price is going up, which is good for the fur market. Is the fur industry dying? I don't think so. Hong Kong is the biggest exporter of fur garments. All the famous designers are coming back with furs - Valentino, Gucci. They're all using real fur trim on their coats and fur linings.

The States is very PC [politically correct], but I wear what I want and do what I want.

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