What ICTYOS does

ICTYOS is a French tannery founded in 2019 in Lyon (headquartered in Saint-Fons) by three chemistry and engineering graduates — Benjamin Malatrait, Gauthier Lefébure, and Emmanuel Fourault — that transforms fish waste skins from the European fishing and French agri-food industries into sustainable luxury marine leathers. The company's core technology is a proprietary vegetable tanning manufacturing process developed during three years of R&D, producing hypoallergenic leathers with a distinctive woody scent and unique scaled textures unavailable in terrestrial leathers. Its product portfolio centers on six registered leather lines — SQUAMA (salmon), LUNA (trout), NAYA (wolffish), SOLA (sole), NOVA (sturgeon), and Dombes (carp) — plus arapaima leather, offered across proprietary finish variations (RAW, BRIGHT, SATIN, METALLIC, IRIDESCENT, GRADIENT, DELAVED) and an extensive color palette branded as "Marine Chromatics."

ICTYOS operates a hybrid go-to-market combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce via its own Shopify storefront (worldwide shipping, no minimum order, starter packs and mystery packs for sampling) and B2B supply to luxury fashion houses, watchmakers, and leather goods manufacturers. Pricing is unit-based, ranging from approximately €8.64 for entry-level trout panels to €180 for premium arapaima pieces and €40.82–€97.20 for sturgeon leather, with the company also offering finished goods (card holders) and a Creative Studio service for bespoke brand collaborations. The company has raised €1.4 million in disclosed funding (May 2023, with Demeter Partners and JBC2 SAS) and holds recognition from LVMH's La Maison des Startups accelerator, Moovjee Ambassadors 2021, La French Fab, and media coverage in Forbes and Business Insider.

Name

ICTYOS

Legal name

ICTYOS

Website

https://ictyos.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

French tannery that converts fish waste from the European fishing industry into sustainable luxury marine leathers via proprietary vegetable tanning, supplying luxury fashion houses, watchmakers, and leather goods manufacturers alongside individual craftsmen through direct e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Leather Manufacturing

NAICS

Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing (31611), Other Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing (31699)

SIC

Leather & Leather Products (3100)

akta.pro primary industry

Exotic Leather Tanning & Finishing (Reptile/Ostrich/Other) (IMAOAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Leather Goods Components & Subassemblies Manufacturing (Straps/Handles/Hardware Assemblies) (IMAOAHAI), Textile, Leather & Paper Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAM)

Keywords

• Marine leather production
• Sustainable fish skin leather
• Vegetable tanned leather
• Exotic leather alternatives
• Fish skin tanning

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-fons

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Marine Leather Product Sales: ICTYOS generates revenue through direct sales of marine leather products via its e-commerce platform. The company sells various fish leather products including panels, color ranges, and finished goods like card holders. Revenue is generated through one-time transaction-based sales with no subscription component.
2. Wholesale/B2B Marine Leather Supply: Supply of marine leathers to luxury goods manufacturers, watchmaking industry, and leather goods producers for use in their products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ICTYOS manufactures premium marine leathers from waste fish skins (salmon, trout, wolffish, sole, sturgeon, carp, arapaima) using a proprietary chrome-free vegetable tanning process. The company sells leather sheets, panels and sample packs to luxury fashion houses, watchmakers and leather-goods manufacturers (B2B), and directly to independent craftsmen via an online storefront (B22C). It also runs a Creative Studio service that co-develops bespoke leathers and finished small leather goods with brands such as Ganni.

Product overview

ICTYOS is a French tannery specializing in sustainable marine leathers made from fish waste sourced from the European fishing and aquaculture industry. The company operates a Made in Lyon vegetable tanning manufacturing process that transforms fish skins into high-quality eco-friendly leather with hypoallergenic properties and a woody scent. The product portfolio centers on six core leather lines: SQUAMA® (salmon leather), LUNA® (trout leather), NAYA® (wolffish leather), SOLA® (sole leather), NOVA® (sturgeon leather), and Dombes® (carp leather), plus Arapaima leather. Each line is offered in multiple finishes (RAW, BRIGHT, SATIN, METALLIC, IRIDESCENT, GRADIENT, DELAVED) with extensive color variations. The company also offers finished goods including card holders, color sample packs, leather panels, and design services through its Creative Studio for brand collaborations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SQUAMA®: Premium scaled salmon leather with tight, perfectly symmetrical grain. Known for its grain, fineness, resistance, exceptional suppleness and elasticity.
• LUNA®
• NAYA®
• SOLA®
• NOVA®

Products and services

• SQUAMA Salmon Leather Premium chrome-free vegetable-tanned salmon-skin leather sold as panels/sheets to luxury brands, watchmakers and individual craftsmen for use in accessories, watch straps and small leather goods.
• LUNA Trout Leather Chrome-free vegetable-tanned trout-skin leather sheets sold to luxury and accessories brands and independent makers for small leather goods and inlays.
• NAYA Wolffish Leather Vegetable-tanned wolffish-skin leather panels supplied to luxury and leather-goods manufacturers seeking an unusual sustainable skin with a distinctive scale pattern.
• SOLA Sole Leather Chrome-free vegetable-tanned sole-skin leather panels sold to luxury brands and individual craftsmen for accessories and small leather goods.
• NOVA Sturgeon Leather Vegetable-tanned sturgeon-skin leather panels sold wholesale to luxury houses and direct to craftsmen for high-end leather goods.
• Dombes Carp Leather Vegetable-tanned carp-skin leather from the Dombes region, sold to fashion and lifestyle brands and to individual makers for premium accessories.
• Arapaima Leather Vegetable-tanned arapaima-skin leather panels sold to luxury fashion and leather-goods customers, leveraging arapaima's larger skin size for wider applications.
• Creative Studio Service Fee-based bespoke service in which ICTYOS collaborates with brands (e.g. Ganni) to co-develop marine-leather products, materials, collections and small leather goods.
• Fish-Skin Card Holder Finished leather card holder made from ICTYOS fish-skin leathers, sold direct-to-consumer as a retail product showcasing the material.
• Mystery Pack and Starter Pack Curated sample packs of ICTYOS fish-leather pieces sold direct-to-consumer via the online store, allowing independent makers and hobbyists to access the material in small quantities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Less than 10% of conventional leather's carbon footprint (industry benchmark from comparable sustainable leather)

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• LVMH (La Maison des Startups LVMH)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021ICTYOS was selected for inclusion in LVMH's startup acceleration program, providing exposure to luxury industry leaders and potential partnerships with major fashion houses.
• French Fishing IndustrycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Source of raw material for ICTYOS marine leathers. Waste skins are rescued from the European fishing industry, primarily from fish processing for food consumption.
• French Agri-food IndustrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICTYOS works with the French agri-food industry to organize a virtuous logistics system that transforms fish skins into genuine rare leathers. The company rescues waste skins from the fishing industry, creating value from materials that would otherwise be discarded.
• Future Fabrics ExpocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerICTYOS participates in the Future Fabrics Expo, a key event for sustainable textile and leather alternatives in the fashion industry, showcasing their marine leather products to fashion brands and buyers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ananas Anam (Piñatex): Ananas Anam produces Piñatex, a sustainable plant-based leather alternative made from pineapple leaf fibre. Like ICTYOS, it serves fashion and accessories brands seeking non-animal or waste-derived leather substitutes and operates at a similar boutique-manufacturer scale.
• MycoWorks: MycoWorks grows Fine Mycelium leather for luxury brands such as Hermès and Ligne Roset. It competes directly with ICTYOS for sustainable exotic-leather replacement budgets in high-end fashion and accessories, at a materially larger scale.
• Bolt Threads (Mylo): Bolt Threads developed Mylo, a mycelium-based leather alternative used in collaborations with Stella McCartney, Adidas and Lululemon. It is a direct competitor in the next-generation luxury leather substitute category where ICTYOS competes.
• Desserto: Desserto makes cactus-based bio-leather for fashion, automotive and accessories. It targets the same sustainability-driven fashion brands as ICTYOS and operates a vertically integrated manufacturing and finishing model.
• Vegea: Vegea produces grape-skin leather (from wine industry by-products) for fashion and automotive interiors. Its circular-economy positioning and Italian manufacturing base closely mirror ICTYOS's fish-waste circular model and luxury customer focus.

Emerging players

• Modern Meadow: Modern Meadow develops biofabricated leather-like materials using proteins and bioengineering. It overlaps with ICTYOS in targeting sustainable leather substitutes for fashion and automotive applications using technology-driven inputs.
• Beyond Leather Materials: Beyond Leather Materials (Denmark) produces apple- and pear-residue leather alternatives, with backing from fashion and furniture brands. It is a direct substitute supplier for ICTYOS in the plant-based luxury-leather niche.
• Tannery Frabel: Frabel specializes in exotic and novel leathers (including reptile and fish) for fashion and accessories brands, historically supplying manufacturers in luxury niches. It is a relevant peer in exotic-leather manufacturing with comparable customers.

Broad incumbents

• Ecco Leather: Ecco Leather is a global specialty leather tannery supplying major footwear, fashion and luxury brands. While traditional rather than sustainable, it is a benchmark competitor for capacity, color/finish libraries, and luxury OEM relationships that ICTYOS must eventually match.

Regional players

• Tärnsjö Garveri: Tärnsjö is a Swedish vegetable-tanned leather producer serving premium European fashion and bag makers. It is comparable as a smaller-scale, craft-positioned European vegetable tanner targeting luxury brand clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ictyosofficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/ICTYOS

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ICTYOS