I first noticed Apparis for one outsized faux-fur coat, and then I wanted to know who was behind it. The answer is two French founders in New York: Amelie Brick, who came from a business role at Louis Vuitton, and Lauren Nouchi, who came from merchandising at Saint Laurent. You can tell two people from luxury houses built this, because the colors are bold and the finish is careful. If you want to keep going, HAWKINS NEW YORK Home Goods: Useful Pieces to Know is the one I would read next.

The brand made its name on colorful faux-fur coats, then added accessories and other outerwear shapes. It is owned and led by women, and it avoids animal leather, fur, feathers, down and angora. It leans on recycled synthetics and is honest that they carry their own environmental tradeoffs, which I respect. Apparis even made a limited collaboration with Mansur Gavriel to take that approach into plant-based coats and bags. Their About page tells the rest. I went deeper on a related idea in Faux Fur Coats.

I like that the fluffy silhouette comes with a real conversation about materials, and not just a promise of novelty.

Coats are where the point of view makes immediate sense. The Carrie Faux Croc Coat and Ella Canvas Cropped Jacket show that the line is not only plush fur, and the Iris Shaved Faux Mink Bomber and Iris Shaved Faux Mink Bomber Jacket bring a shorter, sportier shape. The Sai Mink Coat and Sai Mink Short Coat make the length choice explicit, and the Blair Mid Length Coat, Brooks Faux Fur Coat and Brooks Bouclette Coat give you different proportions for colder days.

The Elis Shaved Faux Fur Coat, Sylke Sable Coat, Edie Faux Pony Parka Jacket and Lillet Faux Fur Patchwork Bomber Jacket round out the shelf, and the Ella Canvas Mini Skirt is a quieter piece beside all that texture. In my fashion dreams, she walks into an early dinner in the Brooks Faux Fur Coat over a simple dark outfit and I let the texture do the work. Words like mink describe a look here, not animal fur. My rule is to pick the coat length around the layers you actually wear, and I would skip a cropped coat if you mostly live in low-rise bottoms.

The small pieces let me try the texture without building an outfit around a full coat. The Jamie Faux Mink Dickey, also in Noir, frames the neckline, and the Coco Faux Fur Mittens and Coco Faux Fur Gloves bring the fluff to the hands. The Esme Leopard Earmuffs and Eleni Faux Fur Headband add a playful note, and the Ariel Faux Fur Gloves are the easy first experiment.

Picture her on a cold commute in the Eleni Faux Fur Headband, a simple dark coat and a clean scarf. If you want the cozy side, the Laila Faux Fur Vest, Margot Sable Faux Fur Pillbox Hat and Brady Mink Blanket in Mink are there too. I would choose one textured accessory at a time, since a small dose is often enough to change a plain winter outfit.

Apparis is strongest when it makes a familiar coat or accessory feel more tactile and playful. A coat is the clear introduction, but a dickey, mitten or headband makes the idea easier to try without committing to the whole look. I also appreciate that the brand is open about the tradeoffs of its animal-free materials and does not pretend synthetics are a finished answer. For a first piece, I would choose the shape you know you will wear on the coldest days, then let the texture bring the fun. Although I suspect one fluffy thing leads to another.