Atlantic Leather

The use of fish leather in Iceland is a very old tradition reaching back to the settlement of the island in the 9th century. The Norse Viking settlers brought with them this craftmanship from their home regions in Norway and Scandinavia. Throughout the ages the fish skin severed an important role with people all around the Icelandic coast. The skin from Wolffish was the most widely used fish leather as it is thick and strong. This skin was most often used to make simple shoes that were fitted on the inside with lamb wool. During the often very harsh winters in Iceland these shoes keep adults and children feet dry and warm. This tradition of using fish skin for shoes carried on into the beginning of the 20th century and samples of such shoes can still be found in homes around the Island. In late 20th century pioneers in north of Iceland started to adapt modern tanning techniques to make fish skin usable for more applications. This was successful and today the fish leather produced by Nordic Fish Leather is being used for a wide variety of products, such as shoes, belts, handbags and different accessories.