FISHSKINLAB - FISH LEATHER RENAISSANCE

FISH LEATHER RENAISSANCE

Fish Leather Renaissance – Salvatore Ferragamo's Sustainable Materials Amidst Wartime in Italy.

The article traces Salvatore Ferragamo’s early engagement with fish leather. As early as the 1920s, he revived fish leather within his footwear designs, long before sustainability became a global concern. During the Second World War, when leather was heavily rationed and international trade suffered under sanctions, Italy turned inward, seeking self-sufficiency. It was in this atmosphere of scarcity and constraint that Ferragamo experimented with fish skins sourced from local seafood suppliers. Through innovative tanning processes, he transformed salmon, cod, perch, catfish, and snapper into marine leathers—materials that echoed the textures of exotic skins without relying on them.

These wartime experiments reveal a response to material shortages and an early vision of sustainable practice. Ferragamo’s approach strengthened local industries, affirmed the value of Made in Italy, and drove Italy’s cultural imagination into the surface of the shoe. Revisiting this history today shows how creativity emerges in moments of rupture, and how materials—humble, overlooked, or unexpected—can open new paths for design.

https://www.bemboedizioni.it/main/scheda.aspx?id=26