Both Behar and Mizrahi tackled similar issues due to the prompt given to them by Cooper Hewitt and Nature Conservancy. They both worked to help people connect their homes, resources, and skills to improve their lives. Appropriately for a product designer and fashion designer, respectively, the two men approached their given people, places, and resources similarly. Both designers retained their day job users—wealthy white people. Behar produced a useful and poetic product to make hot cocoa, a cultural staple in La Amistad. Mizrahi produced a stunning gown and a pair of tacky shoes, using the salmon leather as simply decoration. The problem with both of these designs is that they do not function within the habitat from which they are produced. The cocoa stick produced by Behar could only be manufactured in the rainforest if the rainforest was destroyed by a modern factory. Mizrahi’s gown has no place in Alaska, not to mention the fact that the leather serves merely aesthetic purposes. These two products will only enrich Costa Rica and Alaska economically.
Of the two concepts, Mizrahi’s design is more viable because of his awareness of beauty, clothing, and especially salmon skin’s possibilities as a material. I also think that, because of the sustainable and organic nature of the material, production of this bi-product of an industry that already exists could be possible in the Nushagak-Mulchatna Watershed. The next phase of this product is to combine the beauty and strength highlighted by Mizrahi with functionality of the inhabitants of this community. Production of goods that can benefit the community by being able to be used within the salmon industry, as well as for cultural events, is the most productive start. From there, the locals can begin to market their new material as they see fit, taking into account how much they want to expose their homeland to an expanding business.
Equipment for the salmon industry made out of its bi-product could include jackets and boots for the fishermen since salmon leather is strong and waterproof. It may also be used for durable upholstery, tarps, or buoy coverings on the boats. Further exploration of the material might include local crafts. Mass production of salmon leather could include small leather goods, car upholstery, and shoes.
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