Winter is almost here, and Jack Frost will begin nipping at our noses, making us want to bundle up. One of the season's hottest trends is faux fur. It's hot because it looks luxurious, keeps us warm and doesn't come with the guilt of wearing the fur of a innocent animal.

Covington, Kent. is home to one of the international icons in the faux fur industry. Fabulous-Furs is known around the world for the finest quality faux fur and its designs are used throughout the entertainment industry and can be found in high-end retail stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and W Hotels. Fabulous-Furs has also been featured on the shopping network QVC, resulting in selling out of some products.

Donna Salyers started Fabulous-Furs in her basement in 1989 without any prior knowledge on how to start a business. The idea for the company was planted when she was in her car on the way to purchase a mink coat, and she happened to catch a radio segment describing how kittens were being skinned alive to make mink teddy bears. Instead of making that mink coat purchase, she started Fabulous-Furs.

"We began with a single product: a kit to sew a faux fox coat," says Salyers. "We make about 60 percent of our products in Covington in the same building that houses our call center, offices and distribution center. Luckily, my grandmother taught me to sew, preparing me for a business based on fashion and design. I have no business background or education, so it's truly an 'only in America' success story."

Being an international icon for fabulous faux furs is a big title to hold and comes with the great responsibility of staying on top of what's hot and being on the cutting edge of new styles. This isn't as hard to do when you have such a terrific team working for you with equally as fantastic customers, though, Salyers says.

"We have a great merchandise team with many age perspectives," says Salyers. "All of us love beautiful things and imagining how to make them irresistible to our customers. Our call center is a wonderful source of inspiration, because they speak with customers all day who know exactly what they want to see in our catalog and on our website. Looking ahead to 2012, it feels as if color will remain and maybe things will lean towards being a bit more refined and structured."

Fabulous-Furs also has a marvelous in-house designer who is the epitome of what customers want and for what Fabulous-Furs stands. "Kristen Bolt, our in-house designer, loves over-the-top, pretty things, which matches our customers' tastes," says Salyers. "She’s a DAAP graduate, so her skills match her aesthetics. All of us appreciate high quality, distinctive things not easily found."

This winter you will want to experience the warmth and style that Fabulous-Furs brings to the table. If you like the fur trend but are too afraid to try an all-out fur look, you can try its customer-favorite Sable Hook Faux Fur Vest or Pull-Through Scarf, which is getting a lot of press.

"Lucky magazine featured our pull-through neck scarf, which is perfect with a sweater or more traditionally with a coat or jacket," says Salyers. "InStyle requested an entire color array of the same scarf, a real indicator of a trend with legs."

If your personality is bold and you have a fashion sense to match, this season will tickle your fancy as Salyers says this winter's trends are wild and wooly. Fabulous-Furs' faux Russian Lynx jacket has been the shining star for this season, with its Plum Mongolian jacket being a close second.

Each year Fabulous-Furs' product line gets a 60 percent or greater overhaul with numerous new products gracing the pages of its catalog, so keeping up with the ever-changing styles in fashion never gets dull.

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