Black Diamond auction scheduled to start next week

SWAKARA PELTS, NAMIBIA’S “BLACK DIAMONDS” READY FOR INTERNATIONAL AUCTION

In preparation for the international Kopenhagen Fur Auction, Agra’s House of Swakara dispatched a consignment of 68,500 Swakara pelts early in March. The pelts will be auctioned on 10 April in Copenhagen, Denmark. Representatives from Agra, the Swakara Board of Namibia, the winner of the Agra/Kopenhagen Fur Quality Award, Mr Paul Steyn, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Trade and Industry, Dr Malan Lindeque, and the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture Water and Forestry, Mr Joseph Iita, will attend this auction. Dagmar Honsbein, Agra ProVision’s General Manager said Swakara is a unique all-Namibian brand receiving global recognition for many decades. Agra, as the sole marketing agent of Swakara pelts, represented this industry at international fur shows.

Wessel Visser, Agra’s Manager for Social Business and Services, represented Swakara at the Hong Kong International Fur Fair which took place from 25 to 28 February. The event is renowned as the largest and most important fur-trade event in the world. “Swakara was prominent at the show, with its stand attracting many international fur lovers,” Visser said. He also noted that Russia accounted for 30% of the visitors at this international fur show, making it the biggest buyer. Swakara fur with its velvety texture has become designers’ first choice for garments and accessories. This was evident on international catwalks, where Swakara formed an integral part of designer couture by Karl Lagerfeld, Prada, Gucci and Armani, as well as vintage collections by Elsa Schiaparelli and others. Especially brown and white Swakara received recognition on the catwalk. Swakara pelts are sold exclusively at Kopenhagen Fur’s April and September auctions. At the previous auction held in the Danish capital, Agra sold 100% of the Swakara pelt offering, with the highest-ever average price of N$2 534.54 per white pelt, the highest price for black pelts being N$1 856.71. Kopenhagen Fur is the world’s largest provider of luxury skins and pelts. Garments carrying a Kopenhagen Fur quality label have been made from fur skins that are unrivalled in quality. Only skins sold through Kopenhagen Fur and graded by Kopenhagen Fur’s graders can carry the Kopenhagen Fur quality label. Swakara is the only type of fur outside Denmark to bear the prestigious Kopenhagen Fur quality label, although sorted and graded in the House of Swakara, Windhoek. The Agra/Kopenhagen Fur Quality Award, sponsored by Agra and Kopenhagen Fur, gives recognition to Swakara producers for selling high quality pelts. Paul Steyn, the 2013 winner, is awarded a trip to Copenhagen to witness the Kopenhagen Fur auction. Nikola Conradie, winner of the 2013 Swakara – Namibian Young Designer Awards, will join the delegation, with an additional opportunity to complete a fellowship at Kopenhagen International Centre for Kreativity (KiCK). This Agra sponsorship is part of her winnings, giving her an opportunity to work with international renowned designers and other design fellows in the fur industry.