About The Historical Fur Trade Collection
Dieter Kunze’s recently uncovered 1964 collection from Mannheim traces a century of changing fur and textile fashion through carefully recreated historical garments.
Special thanks to the German Fur Association for its invaluable support in bringing this project to light, and to the Hellenic Fur Federation for its continued support. From October 2026, the collection will also be available to view in person at the NEW museum in Kastoria, Greece.
The collection’s story is rooted in Mannheim, where the Kunze family established one of Germany’s best-known fur houses. From its prominent home on Paradeplatz, successive generations developed a distinguished tradition of craftsmanship, design and specialist knowledge that would ultimately inspire Dieter Kunze’s historical collection.
Historical Context
Created in Mannheim in 1964 by furrier and fashion designer Dieter Kunze, Fur Fashion Through 100 Years is a cultural-historical study exploring the evolution of fur and textile fashion across a century. Conceived to mark a 100th anniversary, the collection brings together carefully recreated garments inspired by the characteristic silhouettes, materials and styling of different periods.
Dieter Kunze came from an established Mannheim furrier family. His grandfather, Richard Kunze, founded the family business, which was later managed by Dieter’s father, Paul Kunze, following Paul’s death in 1941. Located on Mannheim’s historic Paradeplatz, the business continued through successive generations, with Dieter taking over its management in 1984.
The collection reflects this inherited knowledge of fur craftsmanship and fashion history. Each look was created to represent a particular moment in time, tracing changing approaches to proportion, construction and dress from the nineteenth century through to the twentieth century. Together, the garments form a distinctive record of how fur and textiles were used across different eras.
From left: 1) Dieter Kunze, master furrier from Mannheim 2) Wolfgang Joop, Designer 3) Heinz Müller, fur fabricator
In 1964, the collection was acquired by Frankfurter Rauchwaren-Messe GmbH and presented at the Frankfurt Fur Fair. It was later entrusted to the German Fur Association, where it remained carefully preserved for many years.
Now newly uncovered, photographed and documented, the collection is being introduced to a wider audience through this digital archive. The online exhibition brings together photographs of the garments, historical illustrations and original material, offering a closer look at the craftsmanship and cultural history represented by the collection.
Special thanks are extended to the German Fur Association for its invaluable support in preserving the collection and bringing this project to light, and to the Hellenic Fur Federation for supporting its presentation in Greece.
From October 2026, the collection will also be available to view in person at the Kastoria Museum in Greece.