Traditional Dyeing Methods with arctic native plants for fish leather
(last edited: 2025)
author(s): Katrín María Káradóttir
connected to: Iceland University of the Arts
This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
Along the Arctic and sub-Arctic coasts of Alaska, Siberia, north-eastern China, Hokkaido, Scandinavia and Iceland, people have been dressed or shoed in fish skin for millennia. These items were sometimes decorated with a rich colour palette of natural dyes provided by nature. Minerals and raw materials of plant origin were collected from the riverbanks and processed by Arctic seamstresses who operated as designers, biochemists, and zoologists at once. Our exhibition describes the process and illustrates the historical use of natural dyes by Arctic groups originally involved in this art. During our research, an international team of fashion and leather researchers used local Arctic and sub-Arctic flora from Sweden, Iceland and Japan to dye fish leather. Several plants were gathered and sampled on a small scale to test the process and determine the colours they generated based on historical literature and verbal advice from local experts. The project builds on traditional cultural heritage that has enabled us to develop sustainable dyeing processes. The results are promising and confirm the applicability of these local plants for dyeing fish leather, providing a basis for a range of natural dye colours from the local Arctic flora. The aim is to develop moderate-sized industrial production of fish leather in this colour palette to replace current unsustainable chemical dyeing processes. The fish leather dyeing techniques explored on this exhibition depend on the specific geographical location, the natural resources available, the local tradition and cultural identity. The huge variety of sources of colouring materials used throughout history serves as a testimony to the ingenuity of people, who discovered and developed these dyestuffs. When synthetic dyes were discovered in the mid-19th century, natural dyes became less important, although today they are gaining popularity again thanks to the emerging sustainable movement. The exhibition aims to consider how the dyeing of fish leather might recognise and inspire deeper relational connections between people, and their environment. By working with natural raw materials and natural dyes we can ensure that the materials can be returned to the earth after a lifetime of use with a positive impact on ecosystem health. Conservation policies and management plans are also needed to sustainably preserve these ethnobotanical resources while supporting local livelihoods and maintaining cultural practices. The project represents an innovation in materials design driven by traditional technologies, addressing changes in interactions between humans and with our environment. The results indicate that new materials, processes and techniques are often the fruitful marriage of historical research into traditional methods and fashion, helping the industry move towards a more sustainable future.
