12 September 2026

FROM WASTE TO WONDER – FISH SKIN LEATHER FROM KENYA

FROM WASTE TO WONDER – FISH SKIN LEATHER FROM KENYA

In northern Kenya, on the shores of Lake Turkana – the world’s largest desert lake – our partner Ambani Fish Leather transforms Nile perch skin into refined, durable leather.

What was once discarded has become refined material. Founded by Ira and James Ambani, the workshop developed from early experimentation into a structured production space where fish skin is cleaned, tanned, dyed and finished with precision. Over time, techniques were refined, tools improved, and craftsmanship matured.

FISH LEATHER HAS BEEN USED TRADITIONALLY

Fish leather is not a novelty. It has been used for centuries in countries such as Iceland. What makes Ambani distinctive is the combination of material intelligence and regional transformation – adapting local resources into contemporary craft.

Ambani's growth was backed by OceanHub Africa, an organization recognized as Africa's Best Accelerator and a founding partner of the ocean conservation initiative The Great Blue Wall.

THE MATERIAL FISH SKIN LEATHER

Fish Skin Leather is:

  • remarkably strong
  • lightweight
  • naturally textured through its distinctive scale pattern
  • absolutely odorless

Each surface varies slightly. The result: wallets, jewellery, bangles and key loops defined not by uniformity, but by natural structure.

THE WORKSHOP IN KENYA TODAY

Ambani operates across two locations and employs more than twenty people, most of them women.

In clean, organized workshop environments, fish skin is carefully processed into durable leather goods. Training and equipment upgrades continue to strengthen production capacity and finishing quality.

What began as local experimentation has evolved into structured craftsmanship with international reach.


WHY WE CHOSE AMBANI

At SoRarePieces, we curate with focus on material, process and integrity. Ambani Fish Leather stands for transformation — not as a slogan, but as a tangible process: from discarded skin to refined accessory.

From regional challenge to globally relevant material exploration. Ambani is not a charity product.
 It is contemporary craft shaped through resilience and material intelligence. Rare finds. Real people.

LEARN MORE

For deeper background on the regional transformation around Lake Turkana and the development of fish leather production, explore:

→ What is Fish Leather?
→ Why Fish Leather Is Structurally Different
→ Ambani Fish Leather, Kenya