ICTYOS: Pioneering Sustainable Salmon Leather from Fish Skin

From Fish Skin to Luxury Leather: Turning fish skin into leather is actually an age-old craft experiencing a modern revival driven by sustainability. One company at the forefront of this renaissance is ICTYOS, a French tannery transforming salmon and other fish skins into exquisite, eco-friendly leather. By upcycling marine byproducts into “marine leather,” ICTYOS is introducing a new kind of sustainable exotic leather that appeals to lovers of fine leather goods and slow fashion alike. In this post, we dive into ICTYOS’s history, innovative tanning methods, and the unique characteristics of salmon leather – a material that’s luxurious, resilient, and gentle on the planet.

A French Tannery with a Green Mission

ICTYOS was founded in Lyon in 2018 by three friends and chemical engineers – Benjamin Malatrait, Gauthier Lefébure, and Emmanuel Fourault. From the outset, their mission has been clear: bring innovation and eco-responsibility to the luxury leather industry. They spent three intensive years on R&D to develop ethical “marine leathers,” recognizing that precious leathers of the future must be sustainable. In 2019, the startup opened its own tannery and established a virtuous logistics network with the French agri-food sector to collect fish skins that would otherwise be discarded. The vision was to turn this former waste into rare, high-quality leathers with an exotic appearance – all made locally in France.

This bold vision quickly gained recognition. ICTYOS was selected for LVMH’s startup incubator program at Station F in Paris, a prestigious boost that connected them with top luxury houses. By focusing on environmentally responsible materials for the “luxury of tomorrow,” the young tannery positioned itself as an innovator in both technology and ethics. As co-founder Benjamin Malatrait explains, the team set out to create a company with strong positive environmental impact, using resources intelligently and transforming waste into something beautiful. The result is a range of marine leathers that marry French tanning savoir-faire with modern sustainability values.

Sourcing Salmon Skins for a Circular Economy

At the heart of ICTYOS’s sustainability is its circular sourcing model. The tannery works closely with the food industry to gather fish skins – primarily salmon, but also sturgeon, trout, carp, and others – that are byproducts of seafood processing. Instead of letting these thousands of tons of skins end up in trash or landfills (where they would decompose and emit CO₂), ICTYOS recycles them into leather. Importantly, no fish are killed for their skin alone. ICTYOS only uses skins from fish that were caught or farmed for food and are commonly eaten (such as salmon or trout), avoiding any endangered or unethical sources. “We don’t use any fish that are bred only for their skin… When we talk about fish leather, we’re talking about the fish that we eat in restaurants in France, regularly,” Malatrait says.

To collect the raw material, ICTYOS established innovative partnerships. In Lyon, they placed special collection bins in sushi restaurants to gather salmon skins left over from sushi preparation. These bins of frozen fish off-cuts are picked up and brought to the tannery, keeping the supply local and minimizing waste. They have also teamed up with fish farms and processors: for example, a sturgeon aquaculture farm in Aquitaine (after caviar extraction) and a smoked trout producer in France have started supplying skins to ICTYOS. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when many restaurants closed, ICTYOS pivoted to working directly with these suppliers who had skins available but were previously just discarding them. Nearly 100% of ICTYOS’s fish hides now come from aquaculture, which allows for excellent traceability. In fact, ICTYOS prioritizes suppliers certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) to ensure sustainable practices and full transparency of the fish’s origins. For each batch of leather, they can tell luxury clients exactly what species it came from, where and how the fish was raised, even the diet and habitat – information that conscious consumers increasingly appreciate.

This sourcing strategy is a win-win: it supports a circular economy by turning waste into a resource, and it gives fish farmers and processors a new revenue stream for what used to be garbage. As Malatrait puts it, “It just makes sense to make the byproducts usable”. In doing so, ICTYOS is diverting organic waste from landfills, reducing pollution, and creating a novel sustainable exotic leather that doesn’t require rearing animals exclusively for hides.

An Innovative Vegetable Tanning Process

Once the fish skins arrive at ICTYOS’s tannery, how are they transformed into supple, long-lasting leather? The startup has developed its own tanning recipe that is 100% vegetable-based and chrome-free. Traditional leather tanning often uses heavy metals like chromium or aluminum, which speed up processing but can leave behind toxic residues. ICTYOS deliberately rejected these methods in favor of natural tannins extracted from plants – part of their commitment to use maximum renewable resources in every step. They spent significant R&D time formulating the right mix of organic tannins (from sources like oak, mimosa, chestnut, quebracho, as well as fruits, leaves, and roots) to achieve the performance and color vibrancy they wanted. The result is a proprietary vegetable tanning process that yields leather which is soft, richly colored, and hypoallergenic.

How Fish Leather is Tanned (ICTYOS’s 6-Step Process): ICTYOS’s tanning method combines traditional know-how with modern green chemistry. In summary, it involves six key stages:

1. Selection: The process begins with hand-selecting the highest quality fish skins, checking for uniform grain and well-shaped scale patterns. Only about 1 in 10 skins might meet the strict standards for premium leather.

2. Preparation: The chosen skins are soaked and gently cleansed in rotating drums with fresh water “baths.” This washes out salts and impurities and removes any remaining fish scales, prepping the skins for tanning.

3. Tanning: The clean skins then go into the tanning drums. ICTYOS uses a blend of vegetable tannins – for example, extracts from mimosa tree bark, chestnut wood, or quebracho – depending on the desired qualities of the final leather. These natural tannins bind to the collagen in the fish skin, rendering it permanently non-perishable (i.e. true leather). This step imparts durability and also sets the base color.

4. Dyeing & Conditioning: Next, the tanned leather is conditioned and dyed. At this stage, the team achieves the right level of suppleness (so the leather isn’t stiff) and adds deep hues or custom colors as needed. The leather is then “matured” – left to rest – and stretched on frames to air-dry slowly.

5. Softening (Staking): Once dry, the leather is fed through a softening machine. Rounded blades on a wheel gently massage and flex the leather (a process akin to staking) to relax the fibers. This makes the leather even softer and more pliable to the touch.

6. Finishing: Finally come the finishing touches. Depending on the product line, ICTYOS can apply various finishes – for example, a glossy topcoat for a bright shine or a wax for a matte look. They also perform durability enhancements, ensuring the fish leather can withstand daily use. The end product is a piece of marine leather that is ready for crafting into luxury goods.

This gentle, meticulous process results in fish leather that meets the highest quality standards. Notably, ICTYOS’s leathers are fully compliant with the strict European REACH regulations, meaning no harmful or toxic chemicals are used at any stage. The vegetable tannins and closed-loop processes ensure that there is no contamination of water with heavy metals, and the final leather contains no chrome or other allergens. In fact, because only plant-based extracts are used, the leather is naturally hypoallergenic and has a pleasant “woody” fragrance – a far cry from the fishy smell one might expect. (For the record, fish leather does not smell like fish at all; just as cowhide leather doesn’t smell like steak, salmon leather simply smells like good leather!)

Salmon Leather: Exotic Look, Surprising Strength

A piece of ICTYOS “Squama®” salmon leather in a rich blue finish showcases the fish’s natural scale pattern. Salmon leather is thin and lightweight, yet remarkably strong and supple — an exotic material that marries beauty and durability.

One of ICTYOS’s flagship materials is salmon leather, marketed under the name Squama®. Salmon skin might seem delicate – it’s usually less than half a millimeter thick – but once tanned, it boasts a tensile strength nearly equivalent to cow leather of much greater thickness. This means you get a lighter, thinner leather without sacrificing toughness. In practical terms, salmon leather goods can be both featherweight and durable. The material’s natural fiber structure (criss-crossing collagen fibers in fish skin) gives it excellent resistance to tearing and a flexibility that is perfect for items like watch straps, wallets, or shoes.

Visually, salmon leather is stunning and unmistakably exotic. It has a distinctive grain with subtle scale imprints, often likened to snakeskin or lizard in appearance. The scales on salmon are small and finely packed in neat rows, creating a symmetric pattern that catches light beautifully. ICTYOS can process salmon leather with the scales removed for a smooth texture, or preserve the scale pockets to play with different color shades and finishes. In fact, salmon leather takes dye exceptionally well – it can be rendered in vibrant colors ranging from deep ocean blues to metallic golds, all while retaining its natural scale texture. Clients can choose from matte, satin, or even iridescent finishes to suit various design moods. The end result is a leather that is “visually quite exotic,” as Malatrait says, with a grain pattern “a bit reminiscent of lizard” yet entirely unique.

It’s not just about looks; the performance of salmon leather is impressive. The material is flexible and soft, molding comfortably for wearables, yet it resists abrasion well. Because it’s so thin, it’s easy to sew and ideal for fine small goods or as panels on larger pieces without adding bulk. Designers also appreciate that fish leather can be used much like any conventional leather – it can be cut, stitched, and even laminated onto backing for structure. Over time, a vegetable-tanned salmon leather item will develop a gentle patina, enhancing its character (veg-tanned leathers “age like good wine,” as the tanners say). And importantly, you won’t notice any odor or “fishiness”; ICTYOS’s tanning ensures only a rich leather scent remains.

Beyond salmon, ICTYOS produces other marine leathers with their own allure. For instance, sturgeon leather (branded Nova®) has a bold, pebbly texture from the sturgeon’s cartilaginous skin nodes, often compared to a mix between stingray and crocodile in look. It can be finished to a high shine and dyed in shades from intense red to cobalt. Sturgeon leather’s dramatic texture makes it a popular sustainable alternative to genuine exotic skins like alligator. Trout leather (Luna®) is another offering – naturally smaller and with an elegant, almost wavy grain. Each fish species brings a different aesthetic, but all share the ethos of exotic appeal with an eco-friendly twist.

Industry experts have begun to recognize fish leather as “an excellent alternative to python skin” and other conventional exotics, noting that it offers similar texture, thickness, and usage possibilities without the ethical baggage. Whereas pythons or crocodiles might be bred or hunted solely for fashion (often under questionable conditions), salmon and other fish leathers repurpose a waste product, making them far more sustainable. This unique combination – luxury appearance, high performance, and responsible sourcing – positions ICTYOS’s marine leathers in a class of their own. It’s no surprise that the company has built an “outstanding reputation in the high-end leather industry,” even becoming the only tannery so far to meet the strict quality demands of certain French and Swiss watch strap manufacturers. When Swiss horology ateliers trust salmon leather for watch bands, you know it has passed rigorous tests for strength, stretch and finish!

Eco-Friendly Luxury: Sustainability and Impact

The environmental benefits of ICTYOS’s fish leather approach are multi-fold. First and foremost, it dramatically cuts down waste. France alone discards an estimated 50,000 tons of fish skins each year, and Europe up to 500,000 tons. By rescuing some of this waste and transforming it into a durable good, ICTYOS is helping reduce the burden on landfills and the pollution associated with decomposing organic waste. Every salmon skin turned into leather is one less piece of refuse emitting greenhouse gases. This upcycling also lessens the demand for conventional hides – complementing bovine leather rather than directly competing, as Malatrait notes. In a world where we consume nearly as much fish as we do meat, finding high-value uses for fishery byproducts simply makes ecological sense.

Secondly, ICTYOS’s vegetable tanning significantly lowers the environmental impact compared to standard chrome tanning. The absence of chromium and other heavy metals means there are no toxic effluents leaching into water streams from their tannery. Vegetable tannins are natural and renewable, and ICTYOS even sources tannins that avoid contributing to deforestation (e.g. using leaves, fruits, or agroforestry byproducts instead of rare tree bark). The process does take longer than chrome tanning, but the payoff is a leather that is biodegradable and free from harmful substances. In fact, ICTYOS’s leathers meet the stringent EU REACH standards, ensuring no hazardous or polluting chemicals are used at any point. This is a crucial credential for luxury brands today, who need to guarantee their materials are safe for artisans to handle and for customers to wear.

In terms of carbon footprint, ICTYOS keeps operations local and small-batch. The fish skins are sourced through local networks (restaurants and farms within France), minimizing transportation emissions. Tanning in Lyon and selling directly or through select partners also reduces long supply chains. Plus, by utilizing a waste stream, the overall footprint of the leather (when allocated per life-cycle analysis) can be much lower than that of traditional leather which involves raising cattle. And because the resulting fish leather is high quality and long-lasting, it encourages a “slow fashion” mindset: investing in well-made products that will last, instead of disposable fast fashion.

Although ICTYOS is a relatively new player, it has garnered several acknowledgments and partnerships that underscore its positive impact. It was highlighted by the World Economic Forum as a company bringing sustainable innovation to the luxury market. It has been featured at Première Vision Paris, a top trade show, as an exemplar of eco-responsible leather innovation. Many of ICTYOS’s sourcing partners carry MSC or ASC certification, reflecting a commitment to sustainable fishing and farming. While small in scale, ICTYOS demonstrates that tanning can be done in an environmentally conscious way without sacrificing quality – setting a model that larger tanneries might emulate. The company’s ethos even aligns with green chemistry principles (it’s listed in a Green Chemistry for Sustainability database for using safer alternatives and promoting circular economy). All these factors build confidence that fish leather can truly be a luxury material with a light environmental touch.

From Haute Couture to Slow Fashion: The Appeal of Fish Leather

Sustainable or not, a leather only succeeds in the market if artisans and designers love working with it – and fish leather is certainly captivating the imaginations of many. ICTYOS reports that they have over 250 clients (as of 2020) ranging from major luxury brands to independent artisan workshops, all experimenting with marine leather in their products. High-end watchmakers have created salmon leather watch straps, prized for their combination of thinness and strength. Luxury leather goods houses (like Parisian brand Jean Rousseau) have released limited collections of small accessories – think elegant wallets and iPhone cases – made with ICTYOS fish leathers to offer something novel to their discerning clientele. Footwear designers have also embraced fish leather: in fact, to ICTYOS’s pleasant surprise, shoemakers became some of their biggest customers, using salmon leather for stylish sneakers and dress shoe accents. Because the leather is strong yet lightweight, it’s ideal for fashioning comfortable shoes and boots that stand out from the ordinary.

Artisans appreciate the workability of fish leather. It can be skived and folded like any lambskin, and its fine grain allows for precise stitching on small items. Yet it also holds up to rivets, buckles, and daily wear, which is why even saddlery and upholstery projects have used ICTYOS’s leathers (from bespoke horse bridles to decorative wall panels in luxury interiors). Forward-thinking designers in haute couture have started to incorporate the material for its “unique, luxurious finish” that conveys exclusivity and innovation. For example, a Chilean fashion label noted that salmon leather gives their garments a haute couture look while still allowing handcrafted detailing – a blend of luxury and artisanship. Little by little, more designers around the globe are choosing fish leather as a statement of both style and values: it signals a commitment to innovation, exclusivity, and sustainability all at once.

For the slow fashion movement and consumers who care about provenance, fish leather has a compelling story. Each piece of salmon leather began as a food industry byproduct, was carefully tanned in a low-impact process, and emerges as a one-of-a-kind material – no two fish skins are exactly alike. Buying a wallet or handbag made of ICTYOS salmon leather isn’t just about owning a beautiful accessory; it’s also about supporting an eco-conscious supply chain and age-old craft brought into modern responsibility. As one leathercraft blogger observed, the transparency and ethics behind ICTYOS’s process “will undoubtedly arouse the curiosity of the refined consumer who is concerned about the environment”. Indeed, fish leather’s rarity and backstory give it a special aura. It’s luxurious but not ostentatious, innovative yet rooted in tradition. For artisans, working with such material adds meaning to their craft, and for customers, it offers a chance to own something both exotic and ethical.

Conclusion: Luxury Reimagined from the Sea

ICTYOS’s salmon leather exemplifies how innovation in natural materials can redefine luxury for the better. By taking salmon skin that would have been thrown away and transforming it through green tanning chemistry, ICTYOS has created a sustainable exotic leather that rivals python or lizard skin in beauty and performance – but far surpasses them in eco-friendliness. This marine leather carries the spirit of slow fashion: thoughtfully sourced, expertly crafted, and built to last. It appeals to those who seek out premium, uncommon materials yet also care about environmental impact and artisanal provenance.

In the world of fine leather goods, ICTYOS fish leather is making waves (quite literally, from the ocean to the atelier!). It proves that circular economy principles can go hand-in-hand with artistry, resulting in products that are as meaningful as they are beautiful. Whether it’s a watch strap with a sapphire-blue salmon leather lining or a bespoke handbag panel that subtly shows a fish-scale grain, these materials tell a story of luxury reimagined. For leather enthusiasts and conscious consumers, ICTYOS’s work with sustainable fish leather is a welcome development – an invitation to enjoy the exotic appeal and tactile pleasure of true leather, without the usual compromises. In short, salmon leather and other marine leathers are carving out a niche in luxury craftsmanship, demonstrating that the future of exotic leather can be both captivating and kind to our environment. The next time you’re considering a premium leather item, don’t be surprised if fish leather swims into your attention – it just might be the perfect blend of elegance and ethics.

Keywords: fish leather, salmon leather, sustainable leather, exotic leather, ICTYOS, vegetable-tanned fish skin, marine leather, upcycled leather, slow fashion, luxury craft.