Provocative Objects: Tortoiseshell

15 January 2025 -

Tortoiseshell bamboo

Curiosity about the origins of animal products in historical advertisements, particularly those found in The Drapers’ Record at the London College of Fashion (LCF) Archive, led me to explore materials like whale bone and alpaca wool. During this investigation, I mistakenly thought a bamboo curtain pole was made from real tortoiseshell. This bamboo, Phyllostachys edulis ‘Heterocycla’, also known as “Tortoise Shell Bamboo,” is an extremely rare evergreen species from China and Japan. Its shoots initially appear grey but mature to hues ranging from yellow-green to orange-green, with the mature bamboo used historically in furniture production. This material was prized for its unique, tortoise-like patterns and was often imported from East Asia during periods of colonial trade.

This discovery sparked an interest in the broader context of animal-based materials in fashion and design, particularly in relation to colonial trade, sustainability and animal rights. On visiting the LCF Materials Collection, a space renowned for its emphasis on sustainable practices, I began to reflect critically on the word ‘sustainable’. Curated by Billie Coxhead, the collection serves as a critical where sustainability is often debated, raising ethical questions about how materials are sourced and processed.

Among the various animal-based materials on display—wool, silk, leather, and fish skins—there was a notable absence: tortoiseshell. Its absence reminded me of the material’s controversial history and growing unsustainability. Historically, tortoiseshell was coveted for its gloss, durability, and unique beauty. It was used in fashion accessories such as sunglasses, combs, hairpins, brooches, rings, and bracelets, as well as in luxury furniture and musical instruments. Tortoiseshell’s rich visual appeal and functional durability made it a symbol of wealth and status, often used lavishly to adorn high-end goods.

Hawksbill tortoiseshell

The history of tortoiseshell is deeply intertwined with the exploitation of natural resources for luxury products. As Mark Kearney, a PhD candidate at the Institute of Sustainable Heritage at University College London, notes, materials like tortoiseshell and ivory became highly sought after by the wealthy, driving up prices and turning them into status symbols. This demand led to the over-exploitation of the primary source of tortoiseshell, the hawksbill turtle. By the mid-18th century, commercial farming of turtles for their shells had reached unsustainable levels, pushing the hawksbill turtle to the brink of extinction.

In 1973, as the availability of tortoiseshell dwindled due to over-exploitation, CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) was established and placed the hawksbill turtle under protection, severely restricting the trade in tortoiseshell. This marked a key moment in the decline of tortoiseshell use in consumer goods.

Faux tortoiseshell

In response to these growing environmental and ethical concerns surrounding tortoiseshell, the development of synthetic alternatives became a priority. Kearney’s research describes the invention of cellulose acetate, a plastic material designed to mimic the appearance of tortoiseshell. These new semi-synthetic plastics allowed for the mass production of items once reserved for the elite. This shift also marked the beginning of plastics’ privileged place within material culture, however, this eventually led to the widespread production of sterile, mass-produced, single-use products. The extensive use of plastics has had devastating environmental effects, contributing to pollution, habitat destruction, and the proliferation of microplastics.

Kearney’s research shows that plastics like cellulose acetate were initially hailed as a sustainable breakthrough, offering a cheaper and more abundant alternative to rare, natural materials. However, the mass production of synthetic plastics has now caused a global environmental crisis, exacerbating plastic pollution. My own work with the Plastic Justice project has highlighted the vast, untraceable environmental damage caused by plastics—particularly microplastics—affecting animal and human health and ecosystems alike. While some newer plastics are derived from biodegradable materials like cellulose, their widespread use remains a significant environmental challenge.

Sustainability

The story of tortoiseshell—its rise in popularity, its exploitation, and its eventual replacement by synthetic materials—serves as a microcosm of broader shifts in human interactions with the natural world. While the development of synthetic alternatives to rare animal products was motivated by concerns for conservation, these solutions have often led to unforeseen consequences. Today, as we continue to grapple with the plastic pollution crisis, it is crucial to reconsider how we define sustainability in material culture. True sustainability will require not only the ethical sourcing of materials but also a deeper reckoning with the long-term environmental impacts of the products we create and consume.

Ultimately, this brief exploration reveals that the shift from natural tortoiseshell to synthetic alternatives is part of a larger narrative about the changing dynamics of consumption, sustainability, and environmental ethics. Even tortoiseshell bamboo, a sustainable but rare alternative, relied on the unsustainable promotion of the animal material to increase its desirability, as well as exploitative global trade. The story underscores the importance of being mindful about our use of materials and the broader environmental consequences of their production and disposal. As we look ahead, it is essential to communicate the nuances and contradictions of narratives of sustainability and ask, what are we really trying to sustain?

Abbie Vickress is a PhD student at Central Saint Martin’s exploring complex topics through graphic design in museum exhibitions. This essay forms part of an exhibition at London College of Fashion 9-10thJanuary 2025, in which the design and curation of archive labels are used to explore the contradictions of sustainability.

References

Kearney, M.V. (2019) When Plastics Saved Turtles, Researchers in Museums. Available at: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/researchers-in-museums/2019/05/25/when-plastics-saved-turtles/

Sustainability (no date) United Nations. Available at: https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/sustainability

Threats to Sea Turtles (2023) Olive Ridley Project. Available at: https://oliveridleyproject.org/threats-to-sea-turtles/

Started by the DHS Ambassadors in 2022, the Design History Society’s Provocative Objects and Places blog series looks at spaces and objects that challenge and confront us as design historians.

Past topics have ranged from the ancient Colosseum in Rome to the ultramodern Antilia in Mumbai; pink razors and Barbies to Lalique’s Bacchantes vase and nineteenth-century asylum photography. The full collection of previous posts can be found here: https://www.designhistorysociety.org/blog/category/provocative-objects-spaces

We invite submissions for guest blog posts from students, early career researchers, and established academics to those with a general interest in design history. Post can be on any object or place from any era, anywhere in the world, which in some way incites discussion and debate.Post should be 500-800 words in length, accompanied by at least one image with associated credits and clearances, and a short bio.

Please send to the DHS Senior Administrator, Dr Jenna Allsopp designhistorysociety@gmail.com