Do not be fooled by the skin of fish - it is much more than waste fish and food industry. Craftsmen, artists and fashion houses appreciate its beauty and durability, turning them into exquisite fabrics, accessories, paintings or even book covers. After treatment, the skin is known as fish or ocean skin, a name that better reflects the quality and attractiveness of the material.
Memories from the past
For centuries, fish skin has been used for practical and decorative purposes. With a history of more than 6000 years, people from the Hejen ethnic group (northeast China) are known as the “fish skin tribe” because their clothing consists of large fish, usually salmon. Their wedding dresses are especially noticeable. Although this craft has almost disappeared in our time, some have saved it, and in June 2006, the ability to process fish was one of the first listed as intangible cultural heritage of China.
Before the introduction of sunburn in Iceland after World War II, people from the western fjords used to make shoes for the Atlantic wolf. Scientists were not durable; the skins were simply cleaned and stretched to dry on wooden pediments. People mostly wore them like slippers or on haymaking when harvesting grass.
In this context, special attention is paid to stingrays: the skin has long been valued not only for its durability, but also for its exceptional and decorative character. The powerful samurai clans in Japan used the skin of the skin to cover the manual guard and the sheath with a saber to provide a secure grip. In exceptional cases, the upper part of the armor was made of stingray to protect the warrior's chest.
In Europe, leather became fashionable in the 18th century, partly due to the influence of the Marquise de Pompadour, a favorite of the French king Louis XV. In the 19th century, during the Art Deco period, artisans used hides to decorate furniture and small objects.
Turn the skin on the fish
Salmon, eel, cod and more exotic fish are the most commonly chosen fish species. Each view has a distinct pattern that becomes similar after removing the scales. For an untrained eye, some fish skin could be mistaken for reptile skin.
To become skinned, the skin of the fish is unloaded outdoors or tanned. Experts believe that tan provides greater strength. Tanning can be organic, chemical, or a mixture of methods. Guidance videos on tanning are available online. One of them, “Salmon Clothing of Sweden”, explains the tanning process and provides images of ready-made clothing, shoes and accessories.
Material loved by fashion houses and craftsmen
Because of its size, fish skin is particularly suitable for small items such as shoes, bags or purses. These items can be made in large quantities or made as exclusive handmade items. If stitched together, leather can be used to make clothes, as shown in the above video. Fish skin can also be stuck on a support and used as a mosaic for decorative purposes.
Designers and fashion houses are enthusiastic about this amazing material. Some use fish skin in certain collections, such as Dior shoes, made from pitched leather. Other brands are Delage or ABP in Paris. First Arrondissement - specializes in exquisite leather goods. Exclusive stores offer personalized shoes, guard straps, ribbons, and other small leather goods made from various fish skins, such as bass, sturgeon, stingray, or shark, that rich customers value.
Fish skin is also used in other fine crafts. Stunned by red skin, Louise Pihl Christensen, a young Danish bookbinder, is experimenting with her. In particular, she had glorious results covering books with oblique skin.
Furniture manufacturing is another interesting example of using fish skin. The experience gained in France during the Art Deco period was largely lost between the two world wars, when the material went out of fashion. Fortunately, a young student from Ecole Boulle, the accused Parisian public school of fine arts and crafts and applied arts, received support from the school to research on this issue. Currently, Jean Perfettini is an internationally recognized expert in restoring old furniture decorated with a tablecloth. He also receives orders for new furniture, as the material is again highly valued in certain circles in France and abroad.
The use of fish skin is limited only by the user's imagination. When on her favorite island of Laeso, between Denmark and Sweden, Rita Buch Hansen gets the remains of fish skins from her local fish store and dries them outdoors to turn them into amazing landscapes inspired by the picturesque island.
What can be rubbish for a bunker turns out to be a resource for beautiful and delicious products. Fish skin is a dream material. It is as strong as cow skin, and as exotic as snake skin. With its soft, elastic strength and a wide range of patterns, it offers endless creative possibilities.
