In the blue-gray cod leather we find the colors of the water in all its states. The white-gray glaciers, snow dusted with ashes, the bright light blue water of the lagoons and the foggy white steaming fumaroles of geothermally active areas. We arrange our designs made of Icelandic cod leather like cultural artefacts to the natural flowers of the arctic campion. This sturdy plant has made the inhospitable conditions of the alpine altitude a living space. It is unbelievable that nature produces such colors. In awe we wonder who actually creates here.

Rothöll’s collection
Blue-gray cod leather and the arctic campion

Arctic campion (Lychnis alpina)
Delicate power




Blue-gray cod leather
Cod (Gadus morhua)
Cod leather is a combination of soft and rough. Like the structure, the color distribution does not vary in any recognizable pattern. A basic tone is determined by many shades that overlap individually. Despite the wildness, the surface expresses something delicate through the very small scale pockets.
Cod has always been caught off the coast of Iceland. It still comprises the largest part of Icelandic sea fish exports. Cod is praised by gourmets around the world for its fine taste. Icelandic “salt fish” is a delicacy in Portugal and Spain.
The Icelandic tannery is in close cooperation with the local fisheries. The raw material for our cod leather comes from fisheries on the north coast of Iceland. The cod skins are preserved with the help of mineral tanning. With blue-gray cod leather, the tannery leaves the natural pigmentation in the fish skin. As a result, the many differently structured skin areas take on the color to different degrees. This creates the almost painterly expression of cod leather.
