Phetchburi, Sept 14: 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 kilogram 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 vendor 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 (USD 75).
"It's comfortable, especially inside. The bikini can
really breathe. It's a bit strange because it's new and
it's not elasticised. I like the fact that it's waterproof
which means it can dry more easily," said 30-year-old
Sudarat 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 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 province, about 135 kilometres south of
Bangkok, 30,000 pieces of tilapia fish are cleaned, sliced
and skinned every day.
While the packaged fish meat ends up 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 (USD 94) per
kilogram to 40 Baht (USD 25) 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.
Bureau Report