"Are you sure I don't look Russian wearing this?" she asks the shop assistant.

"You look beautiful," he replies.

Satisfied with the answer, she shells out around 6,000 Kč ($290) for the coat, made out of rabbit skin, and leaves.

In the past few years, real fur has made a comeback in the fashion industry, pushing out artificial materials in exchange for the quality of authentic animal skin. Those unable to afford mink or chinchilla often reach for more affordable alternatives, such as rabbit. Imports of cheaper fur from China have made fur coats — once a symbol of prestige for the well-to-do — a middle-class trend.

Utilizing cheaper imported materials has made the price of fur comparable to that of winter coats from artificial fabrics. The resulting mass popularity of coats made out of real animal skin not only worries animal-rights activists, but also traditional Czech fur makers.

"Only about 15 percent of Czech fur is actually made here," says 33-year-old Luděk Puchýř, co-owner of a leather and fur company Omnia in Hlinsko, east Bohemia.

Although he is a trained fur maker, he now makes a living importing fur and fur products from markets in Southeast Asia.

"China has completely changed the fur industry," he says.

Fur-making tradition

Hlinsko, a town nestled in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, has a rich fur-making tradition dating back over 100 years. This part of the country, known for its long and vicious winters, is often called "Czech Siberia." For practical reasons, as well as good local hunting opportunities, fur coats have always been popular here.

"No synthetic material can ever substitute for fur in terms of warmth, beauty and water resistance," Puchýř says. "Customers know that."

Under communism, more than 1,000 of the 11,000 residents of Hlinsko were employed in the fur business. Today, the number has been halved. Out of those who remain, many have become businessmen who simply trade fur. What was once a thriving craft and a tradition has become a business like any other.

"The old-timers have a hard time with the change," Puchýř says. "But the trend will not reverse."

Hlinsko used to have a fur-making trade school, which was shut down a couple of years ago. Now each fur maker who opens a business must teach the staff how to sew fur or just use cheaper labor in Asia, putting local craftsmen out of work.

But Jiří Sláma, 37, an experienced fur maker who runs a company employing 30 people in Hlinsko, is not complaining about the lack of work. His shop makes luxury fur products, often ordered by foreign designers.

"Refined people recognize a mink from a dyed rabbit," he says. Whereas a decent rabbit coat goes for as little as 5,000 Kč, a mink coat will set you back about 100,000 Kč.

"It is all about the label anyway," he says. "When the production cost is about 1,000 euros, it goes up to 3,000 after they put the Escada tag on it."

Animal-rights issue

Regardless of the exclusivity of the fur, animal-rights activists say that fur coats are not acceptable in modern society because they are unnecessary given the access to advanced synthetic materials.

Tomáš Popp, spokesman for the organization Animal Freedom, says that there is a big difference between wearing a leather jacket and a fur coat.

"Fur is a nonessential product, but leather is practical," Popp says. "Leather comes from domesticated animals, as a byproduct of meat."

Puchýř says that there is no ethical difference between fur and leather clothing. It is purely in its perception: "People don't see an animal when they see a leather jacket. When they see a fur, they see the animal it came from and they feel bad for it."

The number of farms raising animals for fur has decreased sharply in the past 20 years, says Josef Duben, the spokesman for the State Veterinary Office. "In contrast to almost 30 farms in the early '90s, we currently know of three farms in the Czech Republic," he says.

The decrease of domestic production, has, in turn, opened the door wider to imported fur. Currently, the majority of fur in the Czech Republic is simply passing through; it either originates here and ends up elsewhere, or vice versa. Cheap fur coats, imported from China, keep selling well. Expensive coats from mink, fox or muskrat are still made here by master fur makers, but the majority of them get exported to Russia and other countries where the prestige of a handmade fur coat is still highly valued.