The Maugro Story
Born from the ocean and built on innovation, Maugro transforms byproducts of the fishing industry into timeless luxury. What began in the Kimberley with a love of fishing has grown into handcrafted leather goods made on the Surf Coast of Victoria. Every piece carries the spirit and respect of our environment, sustainability, uncompromising quality, unmistakable craftsmanship and individuality.
Who is Maugro?
Maugro is a luxury lifestyle brand that transforms byproducts of the fishing industry into exclusive, timeless fashion and lifestyle pieces—where sustainability meets sophistication.
Our brand was born in 2022, when two lifelong friends, Mark ‘Frog’ Ainsworth and Rory Milburn found themselves through their shared love of the ocean and fishing formulating a vision: to transform byproducts of the fishing industry into something extra ordinary. A history of Rory having a building background and being a craftsman in many capacities and Frog running a small family barramundi fishing business in the Kimberley WA and already being apart of a 40 year old Western Australian sustainable managed fishery initiative they saw that he could do more to minimize his waste and utilize as much of his catch as possible. Together they have spent years developing techniques and finishes and are now proud to offer an evolving selection of luxury leathergoods.
At Maugro, family and quality are at the heart of everything we do. Our brand is the culmination of decades of shared history and hard work between two families from the Surf Coast. While Frog spends much of the year in the Kimberley operating a low-impact sustainable wild-caught barramundi business, Rory brings these materials to life, handcrafting each piece with meticulous precision. From the waters of the Kimberley to the Surf Coast to you, each piece is handled with love and care from the moment its caught until it becomes one of your prized possessions. We source the highest quality materials, components and finishes to compliment our fish leather and pride ourselves on old school quality and craftmanship to assure our products will far exceed your expectation and last for an eternity.
Manufacturing -
Maugro is based on the Surf Coast of Victoria in Australia which is renowned as a world famous surfing destination and home to Bells beach as well as many other beautiful beaches and coastlines.This is where the manufacturing side of our business is undertaken as well as countless hours of product testing and development.
Our primary fish leather is made from Barramundi which is Australia’s most iconic fish. Barramundi utilise what is called a lateral line as a sensory organ that runs down both sides of the body. The lateral line enables fish to detect vibrations in the water and so be able to locate prey and avoid predators. Whenever possible we try to incorporate and highlight this important distinct feature of the fish. One of the most surprising aspects of fish leather is its exceptional durability and strength, thanks to the natural cross-fibre structure fish leather is remarkably tough and offers greater resistance to wear and tear compared to most traditional leathers. A common question when people have when they first hear about fish leather is “Does it smell like fish?’ It’s a reasonable concern, considering its origins. The short answer is no, fish leather does not retain any fishy smell after it has gone through the tanning and production process.
We use a small batch tanning process of the fish skins that allows a superior level of quality control and overall level of finish, this combined with local high quality ethically and sustainable sourced Australian genuine leather has allowed the development of an exceptional quality exclusive leather product range. The Australian genuine leather is a veg tan skin with a light wax coating, matte finish and suede backing. As leather is a natural product, it may have natural characteristics such as growth marks, scratches, insect bites, scars & brand marks.
We have spent many years developing, product testing and harnessing our techniques and finishes and are now proud to offer pieces that behind every stitch tell a story of innovation, sustainability, luxury, craftsmanship and the ocean.
Indigenous Connections -
Fish leather is a material deeply ingrained in the culture and survival of indigenous civilizations around the world, celebrated for its resourcefulness and sustainability. From the rivers and coastlines of Australia to the shores of Scandinavia, fish leather has been valued as an ingenious resource harnessed in vast applications and demonstrates an early understanding of sustainability and importance of utilising every part of an animal. This is why we have drawn our name from the Aboriginal people of coastal Sydney whose collective name for fish was ‘Maugro’.
Maugro headquarters is located upon Wadawurrung country on Victoria’s Surf Coast. We acknowledge the Wadawurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work. We pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging and recognise their continuing connection to culture and country.
