"For one reason or another, these handbags give me a vintage vibe. Maybe because it is Fairtrade, it's absolutely no mass production and the makers feel very strong about quality. It reminds me of simpler times; less choice but more quality. Times in which the product itself really was important.." - Sarah Collier

"While I witnessed a steady growth in sustainability in many businesses, a good alternative for leather was still missing. In my long search for ethical and ecological materials, I discovered salmon leather. It looks beautiful and luxurious, it's strong and supple and easier and less intensive to tan into leather than for instance cow." "Salmon [...]

Saskia Aelen designs handbags and accessories from recycled salmon leather and has these produced in India by a Fair Trade company. "I felt like, as a consumer, you had to choose between either ethics or aesthetics. That's why I went looking for a material that was both ecological, durable and good-looking. Salmon skins are normally [...]

Wear designer salmon - there's something fishy about Antwerp label Ms. Bay's leather accessories. When Saskia Aelen couldn't find a luxurious but ethical handbag, she started researching eco-friendly materials and struck upon fish leather. "It was love at first sight", she says. "It's so beautiful, soft and strong." The brand she co-founded, Ms. Bay, focuses [...]