Everyone has their own definition of the word fetish, but when it comes to events and modern day clubland, dressing up can become a sign of ‘a sense of occasion’ than anything else and an easy way to bring others with similar interests together socially. It can also be an example of nostalgia, expose how a particular niche or small contacts group can leave someone isolated and highlight how for some people, their particular interest is ingrained in their lifestyle.
Although classic fetish looks have largely been abandoned as trends have moved on and guys are more able to personalise their look around a particular tribe or image, some men still take the origins of a particular look more seriously than others, adhere to traditional values and communicate between each other by using a traditional code. Sadly I do not know the motivations behind each fetish group or when each tribe really thrived, and where
My first personal awareness that things were really changing for the fetish communities and men only venues was in the mid 1990s when I was working for Boyz and the brewery owing the Colherne rebranded to modernise it’s image and expand it’s clientele. I think the same thing was carried out with Comptons at this time. Various tribes disappeared at around the same time, but this was the last point I remember seeing the image of leather clones, complete with cap and waste-coat handing out in together in groups on the what was relatively the mainstream scene, although the Colherne had long history of attracting a bohemian clientele before becoming known as a gay pub, it was turned into a leather bar in the 1970s, complete with blacked out windows. Obviously the brewery had been monitoring the slope I trade and decided to act.
After a few years achieving outstanding amount of advertising selling to practically every gay venue across London, regardless of what they had to promote other than their opening times! Then by the late 90s advertising revenue suddenly dropped over a period of just a few months. Venues outside of central London closed or pulled their advertising first, since they could not longer warrant the events. This included many gay locals pubs including some men only bars that really had nothing to exceptional to say, as well as a clutch of smaller gay saunas that would only attract very small numbers. I would say many businesses closed either because they failed to move with the times, probably because they couldn’t afford to and didn’t want to upset loyal customers despite the fact they were failing to bring new customers through the door and, at the end of the day had found themselves trading in the wrong location, with customers preferring the service and venues in the center of town.
It wasn’t just pub and sauna venues who were struggling, but the large amount of club promoters who had satiated the market with too many men only clubs during the week so that no-one was making any money of invest in the business because the attendance figures for each event was too small. Sadly over time many such clubs have disbanded, although some have found new vigour as groups through social media.
The closure of gay businesses continued at a heavy rate well into the new millennium with London Mayor’s office reporting in 2017 that more than half of it’s gay London pubs and clubs had closed in the last decade,
One notable fetish venue that remained a success until 2016 was the Hoist in London’s Vauxhall when the owner decided to retire, which in later years consolidated it’s efforts focusing on just a couple of specialist events during the week, exceptionally busy club nights on a Friday and Saturday and the popular gay club SBN of a Sunday afternoon, including a live show. Some of the brands have been integrated into Jamie HP Events today.
As gay fetish venues continued to close and other influences made their impact on trends, established manufacturers and retailers who had previously benefited from a loyal client base prepared to invest the best quality materials and fitting were forced to review their own operations and bring in external suppliers a priorities changed towards seeking out lower prices rather than paying for the expense of tailoring.
Eventually most operations in the business chose their own production lines altogether in an effort to reorganize their business as the cost of running a workshop had stopped being viable.
Many gay retailers and fetish businesses invested in in-house buyers to identify changes in trends emerging elsewhere that they could be confident to market and sell.
Gay lifestyle store Prowler opened with selling a selection of mainstream fashion brands when it opened it’s flagship Soho tore in 1997. Prowler gained credibility by securing exclusive UK distribution rights with brands already topping the market as club wear in overseas territories such including Australia, Canada and Spain, which it advertised heavily in all the relevant gay press whilst engaging the younger market. Other gay retailers and one-time manufacturers followed suit by selling fetish wear that was fashionable or betting on fashion that emerged to become a fetish.
This is all a very simple opinion piece after all, but I always said that after the crash in 2008, gay men haven’t been able to afford to pay high prices on clothing for clubbing.
Fetish fashion since has typically stuck to variants key essentials that are affordable, look good and and are easy to travel with to venues, rather than heavy leather items and boots, for example. Promoters who wanted to remain in business either reluctantly changed their dress code in order to appeal to fresh audiences or capitalised on simple ‘turn on’ ideas, such as grey trackies and trainers, boots and jockstraps, leather harnesses or swimwear.
Thanks to the fetish traditionalists carrying on with practiced rituals and a culture and media that is increasingly documenting events and a history that is understanding of most fetish interests as part of our sexual and cultural diversity rather than an awkward taboo. I am sure that there continue to exist a small group of fantastics still driven by a natural curiosity into the classical era, including the psychological and sociological perspective for many years to come in an effort to prolong the past.
Fetish history will not be forgotten. I am sure that as we go the world becomes a more tolerant place we will see renewed interests in practices that a have long been common but have became invisible or quietly gone away.
In recent years have seen a particular resurgence in gay Puppy Play. And as Matt Baume of The Stranger explains they will probably have a resurgence in straight puppy play any time now.
“Let’s be clear about this. Puppy play means role-playing as a dog, down on all fours and barking, and yes, it’s weird. Of course it is”. Even so,Matt’s explanation is not sexual:
“If you’re having trouble understanding the appeal, just imagine how amazing it would be if there were a form of group relaxation where you could empty your mind of all your cares, forget all of your responsibilities, lower all of your defenses, and bypass small talk forever. Now imagine that vigorous cuddling and praise are key components of this relaxation technique. And did I mention snacks? You get snacks. Awesome. Why aren’t we pupping right now?”
“All a puppy has to do, he explained, is relax and switch their brain from that of a logical calculator to a reactive animal. When he’s in pup mode, he said, he has “no real inner monologue. Just me at my rawest form. Affectionate and loving and sharing myself.”
Sociable and totally harmless.
Robbie John Dean
