BAUME & MERCIER: A leather with a promising future for Petite Promesse

Dubai, UAE, July 17, 2017:  Time has no hold over women who have fun and enjoy experimenting with their look while keeping an eye on trends. Fashionable and colorful accessories are constantly being reinvented. Women of today like to make a bold aesthetic statement by combining all values in their daily choices – The promise of a better world. The Petite Promesse adapts to these desires and knows how to unite fashion and respect for nature. Its latest revolution is Banka leather, made from trout skin in vibrant, elegant colors.

Innovative material
Banka leather is made in France. It comes from the quality fish, rainbow trout, initially celebrated and enjoyed in prestigious restaurants. The fish are farmed in an environment that perfectly suits their needs, where animal welfare ranks above productivity.

Exclusive colors and unique patterns
Each strap is different: the trout scales form contrasting patterns that are accentuated by the tanning process. A trio of eye-catching colors: a luminous red full of energy, a bold green, and a vibrant, ultra-chic blue.

THE BANKA FISH FARM
Situated in the Basque country, in the village of Banka, the farm lies in the grounds of a 17th-century mill powered by the Arpéa river. The quality of the water and the completely protected natural environment provides exceptional conditions, close to those in the wild, for farming trout. This approach fits perfectly with current environmental responsibility standards.

THREE QUESTIONS FOR PEIO GOICOECHEA
Director of the Banka farm

What gave you the idea of trout leather?
The exceptional quality of our fish means that we are able to supply fine-dining and Michelin-starred restaurants in the region. One day I was holding a trout skin, which we remove before preparing the fish, and thought there must be something we could do with it. It took a year to develop the process in collaboration with a specialist tanner in Brittany. Today, we offer an exclusive luxury product.

What criteria do you respect at the farm?
Because of the way the ponds are stepped, the water is naturally oxygenated. The fish are not given antibiotics or vaccines. Their food varies depending on the weather, as we match their physiological needs as closely as possible.

What type of skin is obtained?
It is both supple and strong. It is dyed with mineral oxides for a transparent color effect that brings out the natural scale pattern but also goes right through the skin. It is about having the skill to use exactly the right quantities to enhance the skin.