Saturday, April 25, 2015

Pirarucu Handbags , A New Exotic Fish Skin in the Luxury Accessories Market!

FARBOD BARSUM Pirarucu Totes


Pirarucu - Photo Credit: www.in-fisherman.com
A while ago, we started to use a new material on the exotic skin market, Pirarucu, which is the largest freshwater fish in the world! This gorgeous fish comes from the Amazon River in Brazil and sometimes weighs in at over 200lbs ...some record breaking Pirarucu have weighed in at over 400lbs!



Feel good! The Brazilian government regulates the harvesting of this fish and local fisherman make an income by catching the fish that feeds many villages and fishing communities and with the added revenue of the skin, they have made good use of the entire fish. The labor to remove the scales which are all hand cut and prep the skins for tanning is another professional source of labor income for locals. We have ensured that the suppliers of this material only source these skins using sustainable farming/harvesting techniques and furthermore that the tannery uses Chrome-Free dies.


African Violet Pirarucu
Cobalt Blue Pirarucu




People tend to assume that fish skin is very thin and delicate thinking of the store-bought types. Pirarucu however has a very tough, thick, and durable skin...think cow-hide! What you see in the finished product is not the scales, but the carefully removed and cut scales that reveals the beautiful scale-like texture of the skin beneath.










We have introduced this beautiful supple and texturally vibrant material in our collection in the form of our classic tote bags for easy daily use. The look of the skin is so exotic and unlike any other familiar material: Alligator, Ostrich, Python, etc...that the allure often pulls people to stop our clients and inquire what they are wearing. It's always a feast to come into our Beverly Hills boutique and see what exciting new colors and combinations we have made in this gorgeous material.

Cognac Pirarucu Tote

FARBOD BARSUM  luxury exotics has great pride in going above and beyond to find new materials and to introduce them in exciting and chic ways. Enjoy!