Skins International (SI) was established in 1991 by Tradevcogen S.A. & Mr. Earnie Farmer through Mr. Peter Atherden (Ex Weddel) as a trading company based in Kent, England, marketing UK raw skins into Korea for nappa production.
The business expanded very quickly and Skins Int'l was able to secure large supplies of Irish and English doubleface lambskins which were marketed mainly into Turkey through Tradevcogen.
In 1994 SI secured its own raw skin supplies by purchasing a hide and skin market at Alton,Hampshire in the south of England an area recognised as being a good source of quality doubleface lambskins.
In 1996 SI entered into a joint venture with Strong & Fisher, combining its Alton and Kent operations with the hide market at Tiverton and the fellmongery at Buckfastleigh. Tiverton provided another large source of good quality doubleface skins, whilst Buckfastleigh provided the ability to fellmonger all of SI's nappa skins for onward sale mainly into Turkey, Italy and Korea.
The JV lasted until early 1999 when the Buckfastleigh business was sold and SI continued to operate simply as a hide and skin business.
In late 1999, the manager director of the original setup, Mr. Peter Atherden, retired to Australia and the business was rationalised to operate solely from Tiverton, where it has continued until the present time.
SI continues to successfully process large quantities of hides, nappa skins and quality doubleface skins for the international markets through its close relationships with several abattoirs in the South West of England.
