The peoples who inhabited the banks of the Amur - Nanai, Orochi, Nivkh and Ulchi - have been engaged in fishing since ancient times. They created a non-waste production: fish meat went into food, fish oil - for the skin, fish scales - for sewing clothes, shoes, various household trifles. The Amur region perfectly mastered the skill of dressing and using fish skin. The clothes sewn from this material of amazing beauty became a vivid example of the culture of the Amur peoples, which even received the name "fish-skinned people".
Handled fish skin. First, the scales were removed from the fish, then they were thoroughly cleaned on both sides and washed several times in water, laid out on a smooth surface and left to dry for a day or two. Dry fish skin became very stiff to sew something from, the skins had to be crushed for several hours on a special machine with bone knives to process the skin. The process was laborious and long, as a result of this artisanal dressing, fish skin lost many valuable properties. Therefore, when fabrics such as satin, chintz, linen and silk became available, the northern craftswomen stopped sewing clothes from this material.
But today we are witnessing how the production of skin from fish scales is experiencing a new round of popularity, and at a qualitatively different level. Fish skin has become as exclusive as crocodile or snake skin. World-famous fashion designers turned their attention to this amazing material. So, for example, Christian Dior began to produce shoes from salmon leather, which has an original pink color. The skin of salmon is one of the most durable and strong among all types of fish skin. Designers of the Argentinean company Unisol, specializing in the manufacture of shoes, developed and produced unique sneakers. The main material for this sports shoe is the fish skin of a representative of
the American Shad
herring family . But not only shoes are made from this material. The Scottish company "Skinini" has released a collection of swimwear made of salmon skin.
Basically, the size of fish skin is small, but this drawback is offset by a unique pattern on its surface and a rich color scheme. Therefore, most often the material is used for the production of small but fashion items: shoes, handbags, wallets, gloves, belts, covers for mobile phones and various jewelry.
But from the skin of sharks and stingrays diving suits are sewn and even use it to make furniture. The skin of these large fish is surprisingly strong. In general, fish skin is more durable and durable than the skin of any animals. This is due to the fact that the fibers in the fish skin are located very close to each other. In addition, only fish skin is waterproof.
Another undoubted plus of fish skin is its environmental friendliness. To date, scientists have not found a single virus that would be transmitted from fish to humans. So it is impossible to catch any disease from fish skin, unlike the skin of pigs and cows.