Project Idea
Usually, fish skins are disposed of as waste and collected until they decompose and become an oily substance, but the engineer, Nawal Al-Alawi, became aware of the value they contain, so she gave them a second life..
About the idea of establishing a company “Siskin” that produces and markets luxury leather products made of fish skin, Nawal Allawi said in a statement to “Sky News Arabia”, “When I was a student at the High School of Textiles and Clothing, I was a member of an association that encourages youth. To create social enterprises, and in this context, we were making field visits to the Sidi Rahal area (an area close to the economic capital, Casablanca), and through it we tried to inventory the problems that the region and the population suffer from, and try to find innovative solutions.“.
Through the field study, I concluded that there are two main problems, and it is related to the fish waste that resides in the port, which leaves unpleasant odors, and at the same time children play near it, which may lead to respiratory diseases. The other problem is that the women of these areas do not have a stable job, and this is what pushes them to work in compelling conditions to earn their daily living with a very low wage in exchange for long working hours.
In the face of these conclusions, Nawal added, “I tried to think of a solution, and after in-depth research, I thought about collecting waste fish skins to turn them into leather.” Noting that, “After several experiments, I was able to create a recipe for tanning fish skins, based on natural materials such as henna“.
In this way, thanks to fish waste, luxurious fish leather accessories were born to meet the requirements of everyone looking for authentic and natural products..
In answer to a question, does the smell of fish remain stuck to bags and purses? Nawal added, “No, because the oils that are naturally found in fish skin have been replaced by tanning oils and natural oils, and only the smell of the skin remains.“.
Siskin… A company that combines social and environmental sensibilities
“In the beginning, the purpose of the project was to find an alternative for women who work in fish peeling, but with the increasing demand for these products, more job opportunities began to be available for women, whether those working in the preparation of leather, or those who watched dyeing and drying them,” says Moroccan engineer Nawal in an enthusiastic tone..
What distinguishes Mokawalati Seikin adds: “Thanks to her, I was able to create job opportunities for women in the region, while fully respecting the working conditions in order to preserve their dignity and their great efforts.” My project is also environmentally friendly: after fish waste was dumped on the seashore, Siskin managed to recycle it and give it a second life..
About the steps of the manufacturing process, the same spokeswoman says, “We take the skin of the fish and get rid of the scales. Then the skin is covered with a mixture of local herbs that are abundant in Morocco, and it remains for days, then it is cleaned, then dyed with completely natural materials, and then it is transformed into products such as bags and shoes. and accessories“.
The engineer has won many awards, and her project was able to get the chance to meet Prince Harry and Meghan during their recent visit to Morocco. In addition to representing Morocco on several international occasions as an environmentally friendly project institution.
Nawal relies on e-marketing, and owns an exhibition for its products, where it receives customers looking for ecological and high-quality products. It is also not limited to the Moroccan market, but is marketed outside the country by relying on local natural products that are free of any industrial or chemical materials.
The use of the skins of some endangered animals in the field of fashion has long been the subject of criticism by animal defense associations and environmental activists, which made a large number of international brands stop using the fur and skins of these animals in their products. Therefore, the Moroccan engineer, Nawal Allawi, found her quest in fish skins, because of the important and diverse marine wealth in the Kingdom..
Nawal Allawi, a young Moroccan entrepreneur who excelled in her environmentally friendly “Siskin” project, gave life to fish skin and saved the face of women working in sea professions..
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