Salmon leather

Salmon leather is a prestigious, exotic-looking material, highly prized for high-end leather goods, ornamentation, watchmaking, sheathing, jewelry... It is a rare, precious leather with properties that terrestrial leathers cannot match: it combines technical and aesthetic performance. At Deco Cuir, we offer you the Squama® range, from the French tannery ICTYOS, an essential reference for professionals and all creators looking for an exceptional material. It is a luxurious leather that will become more noble over time.

Salmon leather: an exceptional material with unique properties

Marine leather differs from terrestrial leather by the multidirectional organization of its fibers, which gives it very high natural resistance.

Salmon leather is recognizable by its tight, perfectly symmetrical scale grain. It is a very flexible leather, both thin and resistant to friction, water, and UV. It is perfectly suited for creating watch straps, cardholders, bracelets, jewelry... It can also be combined with other types of leather to mix textures and add a decorative touch to a bag, for example. Original and trendy, let your imagination run wild to showcase salmon leather.

The ethical French tannery ICTYOS

Founded by three chemical engineers, the Lyon-based tannery ICTYOS combines traditional know-how and an eco-responsible approach to transform fish skins into very high-quality marine leathers.

Its approach is based on a rigorous upcycling principle: the skins used come exclusively from French agri-food partners, recovered before their destruction. This is a recycling process for the most beautiful fish skins. No farming is practiced for the skin, no endangered species are used. By relying on a network of local suppliers and a controlled short circuit, ICTYOS reduces its carbon footprint while guaranteeing total traceability of supplies.

Vegetable tanning, carried out using tannins from leaves, roots, or fruits, minimizes the environmental impact. The tanning process developed after three years of R&D amplifies the leather's solidity and makes it hypoallergenic. 

All production complies with the European REACH standard, guaranteeing the absence of harmful, toxic, or polluting substances.

ICTYOS marine leathers are the first in the world to meet the technical requirements of French and Swiss watchmaking houses.

Choosing Squama® salmon leather means promoting a virtuous circular economy, without compromising on quality.

Three finishes to enhance your creations

The Squama® range offered at Deco Cuir comes in three different finishes, each revealing the beauty of salmon leather.

• The glossy finish was developed to obtain a luminous and perfectly smooth leather.
• The metallic finish pushes this effect even further. The very particular brilliant character enhances the natural pattern of the leather by playing with light: each scale captures and reflects the radiance differently depending on the viewing angle.
• The gradient finish, unique in the world, adopts a radically different approach. Rather than harmonizing the shade, it highlights the natural relief of the scale by nuanced the background and the top of the leather. Each scale is highlighted, creating a depth and movement effect impossible to reproduce identically.

Each of these finishes provides a homogeneous tint to the leather and greater resistance. The entire surface is plated to fix the pattern, reinforce resistance to friction, and preserve the scales over time.

How to care for salmon leather?

Even if salmon leather is resistant to water, UV, and friction, we recommend regularly applying a suitable waterproofing agent to prolong its lifespan and preserve its shine. For in-depth maintenance, we advise you to call on a professional.

Hot stamping is not recommended on this type of leather.