The original cat carried the longhair gene. The coat is thick and plush and falls in loose curls. The coat is soft in texture, unlike the stiffness of an American Wirehair. Upon full maturity, the coat comes into its full glory. No breed of cat is hypoallergenic.
Different people are allergic to different cat proteins.
People who are allergic to cat saliva can find that rinsing ANY shorthaired cat in plain water once a week to one a month will keep allergy problems to a minimum. Devon and Cornish Rex have a reduced number of hairs in their coat. This provides less surface area to trap allergenic proteins from the saliva or the skin. The Selkirk Rex, on the other hand, does NOT have a reduced number of hairs. A shorthaired Selkirk will shed as much as an Exotic Shorthair and a longhaired Selkirk can shed as much as a Persian.