The global leather goods market was worth £25 Billion last year. I just read about two ladies by the name of Heidi and Adele who, spurred on by a desire to tackle both the ethical issues with leather and the waste products coming from the fishing industry, have gone into business producing bags and purses made from discarded fish skin. Their company turns the bi-products of the eel and salmon industry into attractive, strong and ethical alternatives to traditional animal skin products. Their range includes clutches, purses and shoulder bags.

I’m not sure what objections and misconceptions you need to overcome to sell  bags made from fish skin …there’s an undoubted ‘yuck factor’ I think…but they seem to be doing okay. Perhaps there are other natural waste products which could be turned into clothing or accessories. If you can come up with something, you’ll certainly have an interesting PR story to tell, and might even help to save a bit of the planet.

www.heidiandadele.com