“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 leather is thinner than cow leather, making it more draping. And the pieces to cut patterns from are much smaller. That’s something to keep in mind when designing, but to me, that’s just a matter of habit.
My factories, two fair trade cooperatives in Northern India, also had to get used to the material.”
“Sales are done through my webshop and selected concept stores that can tell the story of Ms. Bay.
The biggest barrier for consumers is the fear that salmon leather might not be strong enough. But it is as strong as cow leather. A handbag needs to be able to last for years and has to be able to take a few blows.”
“For now I need to get my salmon leather in a family-run little company in Scandinavia, but I expect the supply to grow as the demand for fish leather is also growing. Besides some niche-brands, also some larger labels are starting to use it more. The price of salmon is higher than that of cow. But I really try to keep my prices low to be accessible to a wide audience.”