Isabelle Taylor is a surrealist fashion designer specialising in "fish leather," - a sustainable material made from the byproducts of smoked salmon - which she uses to create garments through her brand, Skinned Potential.

Originally from Cambridge, U.K., Isabelle discovered fish fashion during her foundation year at Central Saint Martins where she first saw a fish-leather garment walk down the runway. Fascinated but confused, she delved deeper into the material while studying for her BA in Design at the University of Edinburgh. There, she sourced salmon skin scraps from a local fishmonger and taught herself the intricate process of tanning, dyeing, and moulding the waste into wearable, eco-friendly leather.

After refining her craft at Christopher Kane, The Savile Row Academy, and working within the fish leather industry at Inversa Leather as a branding and design associate, Isabelle is now pursuing an MA at the Royal College of Art in London. Her research focuses on further innovating the fish leather industry, developing a plant-based tanning method, and exploring new techniques for integrating this unique material into fashion through sculpting, embellishment, and other forms of manipulation.

In this conversation, Isabelle shares her expertise on fish leather, its under-explored potential, and how her brand, Skinned Potential, is pushing the boundaries of sustainable fashion. She also reflects on the media's reaction to her work with "fish waste" and her vision for the future of her brand and the material's role in the industry.

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/skinnedpotential/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/whatsfashiontechnology/

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