Articles

From Fashion Accessories to Lampshades & Art Pieces – The Potential of Fish Leather

2023.03.15

Think Sea Corp, based in the fishing culture-rich city of Himi, Toyama Prefecture, manufactures fish leather. Known for their commitment to sustainable craftsmanship that doesn't waste life's blessings, the company transforms fish skin into leather. But how exactly do they accomplish this transformation?

This time, we spoke with Tomohisa Noguchi, representative of Think Sea Corp, about the background of fish leather development and environmentally conscious craftsmanship.

PROFILE

Tomohisa Noguchi

President of Think Sea Corp

Born in 1993 in Kagawa Prefecture. Graduated from the School of Art and Design, University of Toyama in 2016.
Having been interested in fish since childhood, he began researching fish leather in college. In 2018, he aimed to commercialize fish leather while working on community revitalization as a member of the Himi City, Toyama Prefecture, revitalization support team. In 2020, he launched the brand 'tototo' and established Think Sea Corp in 2022.

I Want to Utilize Discarded Fish Materials Effectively

First, please tell us about the background of how you became interested in fish leather.

During my time in the School of Art and Design, I was studying the art of traditional Japanese lacquer, applying it to cowhide and other materials in search of new ways of expression. I've always loved fish, so I thought it would be interesting to try applying lacquer to fish skin and see how it would turn out. That's how this all started.

While experimenting, I received a large amount of fish skin from fishmongers, enough to overflow a bucket, and was amazed at the sheer volume of waste.

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