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Nylon fur coats introduced

Broadcast Date: June 3, 1949

One of the surprising technical benefits of the Second World War is the nylon fur coat. This newest generation of fur coats are fire-resistant, moth-proof, washable with soap and water, hard to tear and almost impossible to wear out. The coats have been fashioned by engineers at the Defence Research Board aiming to service airmen and soldiers in the Arctic. Spun from nylon fibre, they're warm and look deceptively real. These coats are about to be sent into the commercial marketplace, and CBC reporter Gerald Waring expects them to be all the rage.

Nylon fur coats introduced

• In the 1950s, a ranch-bred mink coat sold for roughly $5,000 US, approximately the same price as a new Cadillac.
• Nylon is a strong and elastic material that was developed at the Du Pont laboratories in 1934.
• Du Pont debuted Nylon stockings on May 14, 1940. During the war, nylon production centred on the war effort and the material was instead used for parachutes and aircraft tires.

• When nylon stocking production resumed after the war, Du Pont was selling 30 million pairs of nylons per month in 1946.
• After the war, nylon hats, shoes, skirts, drapes, stockings, brushes, surgical sutures, window screens, wigs and matching artificial eyelashes successfully entered the consumers' marketplace.
• Synthetic fur is now a mainstream inexpensive fabric. It has enjoyed ever-increasing acceptance thanks to a greater awareness of and sensitivity to animal rights.

Also on June 3:
• 1968: The Royal Canadian Mint announces that nickel will replace silver in Canada's coins.
• 1987: Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the 10 premiers sign the Meech Lake constitutional accord. It calls for Quebec to have special status within Canada, plus more powers for the other provinces. But the deal dies three years later when it fails to win approval in Manitoba and Newfoundland.

Nylon fur coats introduced

Medium: Radio

Program: CBC News Roundup

Broadcast Date: June 3, 1949

Host: Bill Reid
Reporter: Gerald Waring

Duration: 3:15

Eaton's catalogue image used with the permission of Sears Canada Inc.

Photo: Eaton's catalogue image used with the permission of Sears Canada Inc.

Last updated:
March 6, 2008