THAILAND: Thailand starts a new trend of leather that is made from Tilapia fish skins

The buzz at this year's Bangkok's fashion festival was a fish-skin bikini, a new and unique addition to the fashion market in Thailand. Made from the skin of tilapia fish, the colourful fish-skin bikini spiced up an otherwise stale fashion festival. Tilapia are cut in half, their scales are removed and the skin is dyed, which increases the value of the fish-skin from one cent (U.S.) per kilogramme to one U.S. dollar per piece. Previously, tilapia skin was only sold to street vendors as a fried fish to eat with noodle soup, but few years ago its skin become well-known in the leather market as one of the most durable around. A Thai leather vendour made a bikini from fish-skin in order to make girls feel like mermaids. Small pieces of leather were made from 15 fish and stitched together. A waterproof bikini costs 2,400 baht (75 U.S. dollars). "It's comfortable, especially inside. The bikini can really breathe. It's a bit strange because it's new and it's not elasticated. I like the fact that it's waterproof which means it can dry more easily," said 30-year-old Sudarat Sae-Lim (pron : Su-da-rat Sae-Lim), 30, who volunteered to model the fish-skin bikini. Thai entrepreneurs have developed a way of processing skins of the tropical tilapia fish to make a beautiful and durable leather. Hoping to expand her fish-skin product line, designer Anchali Chatrakul Na Ayudhaya (pron : An-cha-lee Chat-tra-kul Na A-yud-ta-ya) thought up the 2-piece bikini in 2006. The fish-skin bikini was unveiled at a Bangkok fashion show last month and its makers are hoping for orders from Europe and the United States for the unique product. Since going to production, her bikinis have found their way to Switzerland. "We try to make something that was worth nothing into something valuable. Usually, the skin would be thrown away," said Anchali Chatrakul Na Ayudhaya. At Xian-Ning seafood factory in Petchburi (pron : Phet-cha-bu-ree) province, about 135 kilometres south of Bangkok, 30,000 pieces of tilapia fish are cleaned, sliced and skinned every day. While the packaged fish meatup in supermarkets, the skins are dried, bleached and eventually turned into leather. The value of tilapia skin rises after they are turned into leather from 3 baht (just under one U.S. dollar) per kilogramme to 40 baht (1.25 USD) per piece. Makers of fashion accessories and leather goods exporters are beginning to like tilapia leather. "After we officially opened the market, so many people were interested in these products both inside and outside the country. Right now, many factories use the fish skins as a product for shoes, clothes and sporting goods. Many people are interested in this," said Jakkrich Pimolcheewin, Managing Director of Xian-Ning Seafood factory. Not all tilapia can be used, but only those which weigh more than a kilogramme. Asked what makes tilapia different from other leather on the market, the leather vendors said it is very breathable and durable although its skin is only 1.5 millimetres thick. In Thailand, many leather factories have turned to using fish skin in bags, belts, shoes, golf set accessories and couches, and now export them to the United States, Europe, Middle East, Japan and Korea. Demand for tilapia skin is steadily increasing, prompting the factory to aim at producing 300,000 pieces of skin a day in the near future. The lowly tilapia, introduced 50 years ago as a protein source for the poor areas of Asia, is now swimming its way towards the glamour of high fashion.

ITN Source | September 16, 2007

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