Trash transformation: The brand is turning sushi into sneakers

From sushi to sneakers? The idea may have seemed far-fetched just a few years ago, but that's no longer the case in an age where recycling is king. Sustainable unisex sneaker brand O.T.A. Paris has unveiled a pair of sneakers made with upcycled salmon leather, using fish skins sourced directly from a sushi restaurant in France.

A brand called O.T.A. Paris -- for On The Asphalt -- has long been tackling the issue head on by offering only sustainable sneakers, at least some of which are made from recycled materials, like tires. But now the brand is taking things a step further by unveiling a collaboration with the Sushi Shop restaurant chain.

The limited-edition, unisex Sansaho Maki Saumon sneakers are not made entirely from salmon, but they sport a logo made from upcycled salmon skin. This was made possible thanks to a second partnership, this time with a French tannery, which transforms fish skins recovered from a Sushi Shop restaurant location in Lyon into this surprising leather material.

Offered in a wide range of sizes, at a price of €145, the sneakers are made of Italian cowhide leather, with a sole made of recycled tires and rubber, and laces made of natural cotton fibers, as specified by O.T.A. on the brand's e-store.

And this isn't the only brand to have joined the recent craze for upcycling waste in the fashion industry. French designer Eugène Riconneaus has created sneakers from marine waste -- more specifically, fishing nets, seafood shells and green algae. This initiative joins many others on the road to making fashion more sustainable.