Stingray Skin Shoes and Sneakers - by Rayfish

Shoes and sneakers made of stingray skin are one of the latest fashion fads, with each pair of stingray shoes costing thousands of dollars. Rayfish Footwear Inc. is a stingray shoe manufacturing company that specialises in creating bespoke stingray shoes and sneakers. For $1800, you can choose what design/pattern you want on your stingray shoes, from their collection of patterning and colouring genes of existing stingray species. The company will grow the chosen stingrays in a pool, before harvesting them to create the kind of shoes you want.

Stingray Hide Leather Shoes

Shoes and sneakers made from stingray leather are extremely comfortable, though if you are an animal lover then you would stay clear away from these leather shoes. Another thing, each pair of stingray shoes has an exclusive pattern, ensuring that you won’t find somebody else on the planet wearing the same shoes. The shoes also have strong soles, thick laces and hand-stitched details to guarantee sturdiness, and ensure that the stingray sneakers last for a long time.

Where Are The Stingrays Grown?

Rayfish Footwear Inc has an aqua-culture facility in Thailand, where the stingrays are cultivated until they reach a size, wherein their hide can be harvested for leather. The company uses a variety of bio-engineering techniques to make sure that the selected patterns get imprinted on the stingray’s body, as it grows.

Once the hide of the stingray is harvested, it is transferred to a workshop at Chon Buri in Thailand, where skilled Rayfish workers create the customized shoes. In the past, stingray hide has also been used as material for the manufacture of flashy clothes. According to Raymond Ong, the CEO of Rayfish Footwear, “I saw an opportunity for innovation while keeping true to my family’s long tradition of producing stingray leather goods”.

General production of Rayfish’s stingray hide shoes and sneakers is expected to begin in late 2012. If you wish to own a pair of these colourful patterned shoes earlier, you could participate in the design contest on their company website. All winners will win a pair of customised stingray hide sneakers, once the fish have grown to their harvestable size. Any takers?