Salmon has long been marketed as a superfood to consumers, providing high amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
However, entrepreneurs across several industries are recognizing salmon’s versatility outside of the food sector.
For example, byproducts that were once thrown out within the industry’s production processes are now considered a valuable commodity in the manufacture of sustainable leather, thanks to salmon skin’s versatility of use in fashion and the design of clothing, shoes, purses, and accessories.
The process of turning salmon skin into leather helps to reduce waste and creates less pollution than the production processes of traditional leather. Salmon skin also boasts flexibility and resistance, is lighter than other leathers, and can be processed in different colors and shines without losing its original texture.
According to designers of the Chilean fashion brand Gio y Ber, using salmon skin in their designs helps to promote sustainability by taking advantage of an aquaculture byproduct that provides a unique finish and is more ecologically friendly than traditional leather.
“We specialize in the use of fabrics, but we have used salmon leather for certain specific details since it’s a very noble material, particularly attractive for accessories,” Gio y Ber Co-Designer Giovanni Risso told SeafoodSource. “It is increasingly easier to acquire it thanks to different suppliers available on the internet, facilitating the process of obtaining it.”
Risso added that using salmon leather provides garments with both an haute couture look in terms of their finish and roughness, while also allowing handmade artisanal touches to shine.
“Little by little, we are seeing that more designers around the world choose to include it since this material provides a unique, luxurious finish,” he said. “It is a commitment to innovation and exclusivity … we see great potential in it.”
Though the production of salmon leather remains relatively niche, the practice has been around for several years.
Homer, Alaska, U.S.A.-based seafood brand Salmon Sisters won third place in the “Beyond the Plate” category at the 2017 Alaska Symphony of Seafood competition for its Salmon Leather Clutch bag.
Additionally, in 2020, the World Economic Forum highlighted French tanning firm Ictyos, which is working to turn different types of fish skin into leather. The firm was accepted into a startup incubator run by global fashion giant LVMH – the owner of brands such as Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior.
“That incubation campaign was very successful because it allowed us to get the material into the hands of a lot of brands,” Ictyos CEO and Co-Founder Benjamin Malatrait told SeafoodSource. “We have been growing capacity since year one, doubling our capacity each year and showing that there is increasing demand. There is an increasing availability of resources as well, so we're quite confident [of continued growth].”
Founded in 2018 and opening its own tannery in 2019, Ictyos processes what it calls “marine leather” – comprising skin from a number of fish, including salmon, sturgeon, trout, and wolffish.
“We started getting fish skins from the sushi restaurant industry, but many of those restaurants closed during Covid, so we had to work with the suppliers of those restaurants,” Malatrait said. “They had the skins available but were wasting them. Since then, we have been contacted by many companies such as caviar producers as well as smoked trout producers in France that wanted to turn fish skins into something other than pet food.”
Though a fashion brand, true to its beginnings in research and development of new leather lines, “we are [also] researchers and manufacturers,” he said.
“Half of our business is to develop new leathers or new processes for our customers, and the other half is in answering the demand of fish producers to handle their waste,” Malatrait said. “We know it’s quite complicated to find a suitable high-end value for fish skin; few have been successful in proper valuation. They’ve tried to sell fish skins for medicine or collagen, but that’s not very high value. A company like Ictyos can evaluate the potential of new materials because we are not only working with salmon. We look to develop one-to-one projects with partners.”
Nearly 100 percent of Ictyos’s raw material comes from aquaculture, Malatrait added, to ensure a certain level of traceability and transparency as required by its customers.
“When we sell the fish skins, we provide all the information about what the fish has eaten, the habitat in which it was raised, the process, and the geography,” he said. “It is a fact that we are eating almost as much fish as meat, and globally, I think demand is growing. With an activity as indispensable as eating, it just makes sense to make [the byproducts] usable.”
As for the practice’s future growth, Malatrait said he sees marine leathers as a complement to traditional bovine leather. He also expressed initial surprise that the company’s main customers are not watch strap manufacturers, as he originally expected, but rather shoemakers.
The company is not limited to the clothes and accessories industry, however, as Ictyos leather adorns lamps, furniture, and even wall panels.
“With our workers, we’re pushing the limits of the materials we're using. With the brands as our customers, we are exploring different levels to increase the ranges of work for the craftsmen, which in turn opens new applications and uses,” Malatrait said.
