Sustainable Fashion: Fish Leather

As part of an effort in making fish skin leather more relevant to contemporary sustainable fashion, a group of international fashion students - including Frederikke Elling from KADK - were fortunate enough to take part in the Nordic Fish Skin Leather Craft workshop at the Icelandic Textile Centre with Atlantic Leather in Blönduós, North Iceland. The center is a textile and fiber arts residency.The workshop was organized by Elisa Palomino from Central Saint Martins and Katrin Maria Karadottir from Iceland University of the Arts. 

Students were instructed by Lotta Rhame in tanning methods including drying, softening, dying with natural materials such as onions and blueberries and creating sequins from the scales. The skins are mostly perch and salmon and are waste from the local fish industry in Iceland making them relevant in exploring sustainable alternatives to conventional leather.

The workshop was made possible thanks to the generous funding of the Nordic Culture Fund and the Society of Dyers and Colourists. 

Photos by Nathalie Malric, Frederikke Elling, Elisa Palomino