nienke hoogvliet uses salmon skin in furniture to raise ocean waste awareness

nienke hoogvliet uses salmon skin in furniture to raise ocean waste awareness
all images by femke poort

exploring sustainable and alternative textiles to address the vast problem of plastic waste in the oceans, delft-based designer nienke hoogvliet highlights the potential of what debris from the sea can offer. presented during dutch design week, studio nienke hoogvliet developed a small stool and rug for the ‘re-sea me’ project which both incorporated skin from salmon as a main focus.

the method which hoogvliet utilizes, gives the skin a strong and leather-like texture

fish skin is often a waste product within the seafood industry and with this knowledge, the designer formulated a simple, chemical-free method to turn the skin into a strong and durable material equal to regular leather. the effect is achieved through a manual and traditional technique; the salmon skin is meticulously scaled, leaving the delicate and metallic layer which is then oiled and hung up to be dried. the same method can be applied to almost any kind of fish and for the stool, the salmon skin has been stretched across the chair frame acting as the seat, while for the rug, hoogvliet has fittingly sewn the material onto a discarded fishing net.

the unique project marries textile, product and sustainable design into one with hopes to raise awareness and highlight the beauty of these ocean materials to influence people to reuse them more often.

the salmon embodies an interesting texture and monochromatic tone

the same method with any type of fish skin can be used

the waste material is tanned into leather – referencing traditional methods – without the use of chemicals

the rug uses a disposed fishing net with the scale-like material sewn on

close-up of the ‘leather’ used in the rug

the designer sourced the skin from fish shops

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