Seals

Seal Manufacture

Seal hunting took place in many countries such as Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia. Native Americans and Canadians have been hunting seals since around 4000 years ago. Inuit people used seal meat as a staple part of their diet. It is thought that seals were first hunted commercially in Europe in 1515 and were sent to Spain to be used. Sea hunting peaked between 1825 and 1860, and Seals were not only used for food sustenance but also for economic sustenance. All parts of the seal were used, the blubber was very important for Seal oil. As the development of hunting equipment increased, so did the amount of Seals. With the depreciation of the value of Seal hides and blubber, and the Great Depression in American, by 1930 the Seal hunting market was almost non-existent.

By the year 1943, because of many factors such as the Second World War and the fact all the boats were being used in the service, no seals were hunted this year at all. This was the first time in 150 years that no boats were sent out especially for the capture of seals.  The US banned the import and export of Seal fur and Seal fur products in 1972.

The European Commission called for all trading of Seal products to be banned in 2006. Because of regulations and rules, only small vessels can be allowed to capture seals, under many restrictions. It is mainly Norway nowadays that account for most of the Seals hunted and captured.

Properties of Seal

• Warm
• Waterproof
• Comfortable to wear
• Highly durable
• Comes in Various shades of brown and white
• Most weather resistant fur
• Heavy
• Thick fur

Uses of Seal in Fashion Past and Present

• Inuit Clothing and boots
• Used by aboriginal people for millennia to make waterproof jackets and boots
• Used on the catwalk by Donatella Versace
• Coats
• Bags
• Purses
• Boots
• Jackets
• Trousers
• Vests
• Collars and Trims