SOMETHING FISHY

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SOMETHING FISHY

Written by Kim Poldner - Saturday, 27 February 2010

FINSK FISH SKIN SHOES

These days, a heated debate on fish leather is taking place on our social networking group on LinkedIn. Although we have written about fish leather before, we feel it is good to stick our nose in this business again.

Salmon is probably the best known fish that is used for making leather. Other species include tilapia, Nile perch, carp and sea bass, among others. The different fish species are identifiable by their shape and the size of the scale pockets. Salmon has for example very small scale pocket patterns. Fish leather is as strong as any other. It is made in a variety of finishes, most popular of which are ruffled and glazed suede. The leather is drum dyed in a rainbow spectrum of colors which allows designers a rich choice to work with.

Tanning leather is not new - it has taken place for thousands of years. Making leather out of fish is something more recent. Most tanneries in North America have closed their tanning operations as a result of the Kyoto protocol governing atmospheric emissions. Much of the leather production for the North American market has moved to countries where there is no strict concern for the environment. One of the bigger challenges posed in tanning fish has been how to remove the odor. Since the 1980's, some private industries have researched the processes and managed to overcome the challenges. The leather is not only odor free, but the process lends itself to environmentally friendly and sustainable practises. Since only scales need to be removed from fish, the tanning process does not require all the polluting chemicals that are used for removing hair in traditional tanning. Also, since the fish used are for consumption, the skins are not thrown back into the water bodies, or tossed into the landfill.

Fish leather is usable for shoe uppers like with these fabulous FINSK shoes, handbags, wallets, and all sorts of apparel and accessories. Bookbinders have made use of the leather, as have costume designers. The size of many of the commercially caught fish is rather small, so the individual fishes do not easily make a one piece garment. However, invisible stitching methods do allow a belt to look seamless when made with more than one skin. Because of the versatility of fish skin, most major fashion houses have had an interest in this product at some point. As fashion has its ebbs and flows, so has fish leather fashion. Especially for upcoming fashion countries such as India, where the Hindu population, does not wear cow leather, fish leather might be a particularly attractive alternative.