Unusual animals skin possibilities for clothing

This thesis on little known animal skins, dog and birds, used by pre-colonial Maori for clothing in New Zealand is interesting I think, I would not have thought of either.

file:///C:/Users/OEM/Downloads/wallace_thesis%20(2).pdf

TRADITIONAL MAORI DRESS:
REDISCOVERING FORGOTTEN
ELEMENTS
OF PRE .. 1820 PRACTICE. E. Patricia Y. Wallace


Animal skins are thought to be the first clothing used by humans, predating plant fibers, probably the easiest way to cloth yourself. I see Eskimos also used bird skin for clothing.

Obviously there would be major ethical and legal issues using dog skin, or at least killing them for this purpose. Though perhaps not in countries where they are feral pests such as South East Asia. Obtaining skins when they die naturally or from a vet when put down might be considered.  

I knew a woman who made a garment with her dog's fur, a jersey from memory.

David Nicholls wrote: I knew a woman who made a garment with her dog's fur, a jersey from memory.

Using the fur that's been brushed or trimmed from a dog is fairly common, although I don't know many people who've made larger items. There's a local lady who sells mostly  hats and mittens. Her work is very creative, utilizing fur from different coloured dogs to create pattern and interest.

I do not doubt that humans would have made use of any skins that worked for identified needs. Apparently certain types of shark skin make very non-slip grips on tools, and I've heard of snake skin boots.

Unfortunately, in modern society with artificially made materials abundant, some groups have perceived harvesting of natural materials as cruel and unnecessary. When done on an industrial level, both artificial and natural materials may be produced in ways that are damaging to nature. Places where a type of animal is identified predominantly as a "pet" there may be laws preventing the use regardless of whether the animal died naturally or not, so I would check carefully.

Good point, pet skin maybe illegal, bird skin interests me a lot more

Fish skin,that's where it's at!
Seriously though, it's thing.
Ever since I found out about alligator gar I've wanted a jacket made of the skin!

Very interesting, pretty sure never heard of fish skin clothing  a lot of people are less squeamish about killing them too

William Bronson wrote:Fish skin,that's where it's at!
Seriously though, it's thing.

https://www.sustainablejungle.com/fish-leather/

Well worth a read!  

There are 88 pounds of fish skin for every 2,000 pounds of fileted fish, and in 2015, humans consumed 150 million tons, equivalent to 6 million tons of skins.

Skins are sourced locally from nearby fisheries, and processing raw materials close to home reduces transport routes, lowers carbon footprint and promotes transparency throughout the supply chain.

If they actually did more locally than just produce the leather - but actually did value-added fabrication of end products, this could genuinely help rural communities survive and thrive.

There are places where animals/reptiles/fish are considered invasive. Up Island from me, there was a lake filled with invasive goldfish (a type of carp that too often gets flushed down the toilet). I wonder if goldfish skin could have produced leather?

fascinating

I heard once about people trying to use dried kombucha scoby for clothing.

It might have potential if there was a way to dry and tan the scoby so that your clothes would not be transformed if you got in a rain storm or fell in the lake.

I have no idea what the Scoby itself consists of. I guess if the Scoby consists of cell membranes, that comes down to lipoproteins. It does seem like there is some potential there.

Hey McDaniel, that’s a little funny..lol. So you’re saying I’ve been drinking fashion all this time? That’s just fascinating. Tell me how does it work though?

Laura, it was a few years back, I saw someone had made some clothes out of dried kombucha scoby.  It was in the experimental phase.🤷🏻‍♀️. Never saw anything else.  

I thought it was worthy of mention, where people are seeking unusual materials for clothing or leather substitutes.  Bacteria and yeast have cell membranes, but I have never looked at scoby “tissue” under a microscope, so even my comment on cell membrane composition is based on conjecture that that’s what scoby is made of.  

In addition to cell membranes, skin also has connective tissue, and it grows to withstand mechanical stressors, so has some durable components, but leather only becomes leather after some processing to prevent it from turning back in to skin.  It becomes supple when some of the connections are altered.  Dried animal skin is not leather.

It might be a fun experiment for someone!

William Bronson wrote:Fish skin,that's where it's at!
Seriously though, it's thing.
Ever since I found out about alligator gar I've wanted a jacket made of the skin!

You can see them make and use Fish Leather in this Gridlessness video:

https://youtu.be/CgxMkA1tFkE?t=551

It's from a burbot (ling cod) and they make a wallet (shown at the end of the video).

I wonder if fish skin  could made translucent enough to be used as glazing on a hoop house?
Not useful in bear country, for obvious reasons.

I was given a piece of leather made from the skin of a chicken's leg and foot - lovely texture, but small - it was only suitable as a fastening embellishment.   If it's skin, with enough attention to the how it can be transformed into leather.