Elisa Palomino

Smithsonian Institution, Arctic Studies Center, NMNH, Research Associate

University Of The Arts, BA Fashion, Faculty Member

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Elisa Palomino has 30 years’ experience working in the fashion luxury industry, academia and museums. She has been Head of the Studio at John Galliano, Christian Dior, Roberto Cavalli, Moschino and Diane von Furstenberg. She has directed the Fashion Print department at Central Saint Martins where she has pioneered the adoption of sustainable practices. She is associate researcher at the Arctic Studies Center, Anthropology department, Smithsonian Institution. She has run successful projects (EU Horizon 2020-MSCA-RISE: Fishskin a Sustainable Raw Material; EU COSME WORTH project: Fish leather in the Luxury Industry) Recipient of Kluge Library of Congress fellowship, Fulbright Scholar Award: ‘Arctic Fishskin clothing traditions’ at the Smithsonian Institution. AHRC LDoc scholarship, Daiwa Foundation, The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation. Her research, recent fieldwork and workshops can be followed at: http://www.fishskinlab.com

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Preservation of Hezhen Fish Skin Tradition through Fashion Higher Education

The use of fish skin for the construction of garments and accessories is an ancient tradition sha... more The use of fish skin for the construction of garments and accessories is an ancient tradition shared by coastal Arctic societies. A subsistence lifestyle developed depending on aquatic resources for food and clothing. Arctic indigenous peoples need formidable resourcefulness to thrive in inhospitable ecosystems; fish skin provide them physical and spiritual protection. During the last century, Arctic indigenous peoples resisted both colonization and repression by humans and dramatic ecological changes in seafood security. Fish skin craft became a way to communicate traditional knowledge combined with cultural resilience. As market goods have replaced traditional fish skin clothing, the need for the skills required to create these items have diminished. The decrease of local natural resources also threatens the craft. The film focus is primarily to identify the historical, cultural, environmental and socio-economic importance of fish skin as an innovative sustainable material. Secondarily, it proposes a vision of sustainability as an anthropological study of the resourcefulness and resilience of the Arctic indigenous peoples, their lifestyles and fish skin practices; and thirdly, it can help to preserve them. The application of the craft to fashion has been tested through a participatory workshop with fashion students from Central Saint Martins taught by Hezhen craftspeople to investigate how this material and the transmission of fish skin skills can contribute to sustainability practices in fashion. The Hezhen are one of China’s smallest ethnic minorities living in north eastern China by the Amur river basin, with a traditional economy based on hunting and fishing. In 2006, the Hezhen method of making clothes with fish skin was listed as intangible cultural heritage, and Wenfeng You – our main craftsperson during this workshop – was appointed its heir.

Preservation of the Hezhe people’s fish skin tradition through fashion education

People have worn clothes made from fish skin since early times, with earliest traces being found ... more People have worn clothes made from fish skin since early times, with earliest traces being found in Northeast China belonging to the Hezhe ethnic minority group. There is evidence of fish skin leather production in Scandinavia, the USA (Alaska), Japan (Hokkaido), Northeast China, and Russia (Siberia). Although the craft has almost disappeared, in 2006 the skill of processing fish skin was one of the first listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage of China. This paper describes the FishSkinLab workshop delivered in Tongjiang, China, where experienced Hezhe craftspeople have pass down the endangered fish skin craft to the next generation of Chinese students as part of a sustainable fashion higher education programme to learn best practices for social change and sustainability. The students mapped their creative journey, explored the rich cultural background of the Hezhe communities, and created a collection of fish skin textile samples with the help and guidance of Hezhe fish skin masters.

Elisa Palomino

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