Inversa Leathers

Based in Florida, Inversa Leathers develops luxury leather materials from invasive species such as lionfish, dragonfish, and pythons to produce fashion accessories including wallets, belts, and handbags. The company extracts the fish hides from each lionfish and processes them further by tanning them with drying agents and dyeing them according to the needs of their customers. The company initially started with a high-gloss style with bright colors and later developed a natural color style using alcohol-based dyes. As of October 2022, the company sourced its raw materials from local fishermen in Florida and parts of the Caribbean but had plans to source from any location suffering from invasive species. 

The company claims that lionfish hides are stronger than any other leather material due to the crossway fiber structure in lionfish hides and are a carbon-friendly alternative to traditional cowhide. It also claims to save up to 70,000 native reef fish and prevent 79% of young reef fish from being killed by an invasion. The company also ensures that it uses all parts of the fish by selling filets of the lionfish via its sister brand Salatino Seafood and using the spines to make jewelry by partnering with jewelry companies. 

In June 2022, the company expanded its leather product portfolio by introducing a third invasive species of leather product made from python leather. The company had partnered with local snake wranglers to remove invasive pythons from the Everglades National Park in Florida, US.