Only a few fashion enthusiasts think about sourcing leather from fish. Nevertheless, fish leather is one of the exotic leather pieces in the leather crafting industry.
With increasing awareness and demand for more sustainable and fashionable leather, fish leather is gradually becoming a mainstay in the fashion industry. Besides its rarity, many other factors make fish leather one of the priciest leather types in the fashion world.
In this article, you will find precise and smart answers to the most commonly asked questions about fish leather. You will also discover the truth about widely held misconceptions about working with fish leather. Finally, we will explore fish leather uses and the pros and cons of working with this leather hide.
What is fish leather?
Fish leather is the type of leather derived from the skin of aquatic fish. It is a sustainable alternative to conventional leather choices. However, fish leather might be thinner than regular hide, but its high tensile strength and durability are worth giving a damn.
Although not common as regular mammalian hide, fish leather is suitable for making a wide range of finished leather products. Some of the most common fish leather types include:
- Salmon
- Tilapia
- Cod
- Sturgeon
- Shark
- Stingray
- Wolffish
Characteristics of Fish Leather
Fish leather is an attractive piece handy for several leather crafts and is pretty durable. Some of the most notable qualities of fish leather include the following:
Workable Size: Excluding a few larger fish species, fish leather is usually small. Most fish skin is rarely up to one square foot. Therefore, manufacturers must staple several pieces of fish skin together to get larger workable sizes. However, fish like sharks and catfishes are often large enough to yield large workable sizes of fish leather.
Thickness: Fish leather is naturally thin compared to regular hide. The thickness of fish leather usually ranges from 0.5-1mm. The thickness of any fish skin usually depends on the age and species of fish. However, swordfish, monkfish, whale and sharks are known to have the thickest skins.
Surface Texture: The scaling on fish leather leaves it with beautiful smooth patterns, often similar to snake and alligator skins. The size and pattern of the scale on fish skin differ across fish species. However, this patterning results in a unique, exotic appearance.
Color: Fish leather is available in a wide range of natural colors. The color and shade of fish skin varies across different species. However, the most common fish leather colors include black, tan, red, blue, teal, and orange.
Flexibility: Fish leather is very flexible! Besides the delicate nature, it contains many natural oils that make it pliable.
Rarity: Fish leather is less readily available than regular mammalian hide. It is only produced in smaller quantities and is very expensive in most cases. Fish leather manufacturers are also less prevalent than regular leather hide workers.
Smell: Fish skin contains natural oils and substances that give it a unique pungent odor. However, manufacturers strip fish leather of these substances during the tanning process. Therefore, finished fish leather smells just li