What’s fish leather?

Hi, I’m Sakamoto, the (self-appointed) factory manager of Ocean Leather.

Starting today, I’d like to share all kinds of stories and insights about fish leather on this blog. I hope it sparks even a little interest in everyone who visits.

To mark this first post celebrating the launch of the blog, I’d like to start by explaining fish leather for those of you who might be wondering, “What exactly is fish leather, anyway?”

Table of Contents

1. Fish Leather Intro

2. Fish Leather Brand Ocean Leather

3. Strength and Smell of Fish Leather

4. Advantages of Fish Leather

5. Ways to Use Fish Leather

Fish Leather Intro

As the name suggests, it’s literally leather made from fish.

Fish leather is created by tanning fish skin.Many people have probably never seen fish leather before, but you might have heard that the Ainu people, an indigenous group in Japan, traditionally made shoes (called keri) and clothing using salmon skin.

Aside from fish leather, other types of unique leather well-known in Japan include sharkskin and stingray leather.However, in recent years, it’s become quite rare for people to actually see salmon skin leather or fish leather in general.。

Fish Leather Brand Ocean Leather

There’s actually a tannery in Kochi Prefecture making fish leather — a material whose demand in Japan is still pretty uncertain.

To put it simply, we’re a bunch of crazy people!

Let me share a bit about us so you can get to know what we do:

• April 2021: Fish leather brand Ocean Leather was founded (now in its fourth year as of April 2024)

• November 2023: Completed our fish leather production facility and our own retail shop

• April 2024: The new and improved Ocean Leather begins

Main fish species we use at Ocean Leather:

• Madai (Sea Bream)

• Buri (Japanese Amberjack)

• Salmon (Salmon)

• Shiira (Mahi Mahi)

• Chozame (Sturgeon)

• Others (we currently produce leather from over 50 species)

This was just a brief introduction, but from here on, I’ll be sharing bits of information on this blog to keep you interested and coming back for more. Of course, if you’re curious about anything, feel free to reach out anytime!

Strength and Smell of Fish Leather

One of the most common questions I get is, “How strong is fish leather?” or “Doesn’t it smell fishy?”

I get asked this so often at exhibitions that I feel like I’ve said it a thousand times — so please learn a bit here and help save my ears next time!

Fish leather is indeed thin, with an average thickness of about 0.6 to 0.7 mm, and generally can be used as is without thinning.

However, the fiber structure of fish skin is very dense, so despite its thinness, it has quite high strength.

In fact, fish leather of the same thickness has strength comparable to cow leather, so it’s just as durable.

If you actually touch it, you’ll notice it feels thicker than it looks despite being thin.

That’s thanks to the high skill of Ocean Leather—or rather, my own craftsmanship…

Next, about the smell: the fishy odor usually comes from the fat.

In the manufacturing process of fish leather, the first step is degreasing, so once that’s done, there’s no fishy smell at all. Rest assured.

Also, although it’s fish leather, it is not very water-resistant.

Please treat it the same way you would cow leather.

Advantages of Fish Leather

Of course, it’s all about the scale pattern.Unlike cow leather, fish leather features unique scale patterns and a lateral line that only fish have.The lateral line is an organ that helps fish detect water movements when they swim—it’s like a nerve system for humans.

What’s even more interesting is that the size of the scales can vary between individual fish, and the lateral line can be straight or curved. Although they may look similar, each piece is slightly different—making every item truly one of a kind. That sounds like a sales pitch, but it’s actually true.

Since it wouldn’t be fair to only talk about the good points, let me also mention the downsides.The main downside is the size…

Compared to cow leather, fish leather still falls short in size, so when making leather products from a single piece of fish leather, it’s generally limited to smaller items like accessories.

Of course, by stitching pieces together, it can be used for larger sheets or bigger items, but that requires multiple pieces.

That’s the main appeal of fish leather—does this come across clearly?

Ways to Use Fish Leather

As I’ve mentioned a few times, you can use fish leather just like cow leather. There are no special treatments needed for cutting, sewing, or edge finishing.

However, since it is thin, we recommend adding a core material to increase thickness depending on the application.

The flesh side of fish leather can be treated with a finishing agent if desired, but at Ocean Leather, we generally combine it with cow leather when making products.

We also produce fish leather products in-house, and I plan to share usage tips and examples on the blog going forward, so please be sure to check it out.

From next time, I plan to introduce the manufacturing process of fish leather.

There may be a lot of industry terms and unfamiliar words, but I’ll do my best to explain everything clearly, so please look forward to it!