Ectomorph: Rubber for the Rest of Us By Cara Bruce

If you live in London, chances are you've heard of Ectomorph. Even if you think you haven't, that woman in the rubber skirt that brushed past you was probably wearing them, and that cool postcard you sent to your glamorous cousin in New York featured their design. Founder/designer Krystina Kitsis has taken her personal interest in the fetish lifestyle and, in a story that began almost two decades ago, created what can only be called an international couture coup. In Ectomorph, high fashion meets fetish with sleek, sophisticated results.

EROS-GUIDE: What provoked your interest in fetish style clothing?

KRYSTINA KITSIS: When I started, I had just completed a course at the RCA in Cultural History and had looked into SM and its connections with fashion. It was also the time of the beginnings of Maitress, which was the most exciting club around at the time. The fetish scene seemed to be dominated by very conventional clothing with no real design sense. I thought I would try and introduce fashion into fetish, and make clothes that looked like fashion garments rather than sex clothing. So my first collection was in white rubber—you must remember rubber was very shocking to polite society at the time. Vogue wouldn't even see me—I was told "this is not the kind of thing nice girls should be wearing." I launched the collection at the Embassy Club in 1985. We had formed a club night with them, called "Skin Two." The rest is history.

EG: Many "mainstream" haute couture designers have been using a fetish or SM basis in their designs for years now. What do you think of the use of "fetish" or "SM" styles in today's fashion scene? You are aware of the rich and varied sexual history behind them. But do you think most people are? Or is it simply just becoming trendy?

KK:I do think mainstream fashion is aware of the "dark" associations of SM and use it for its "shock value." It is guaranteed headline news. Plus in recent years the "overexposure" of SM/fetish-related material, be it in adverts, or documentary-style late-night programmes has, especially among the younger generation, normalized fetish.

However, there is still an undercurrent of opposition to fetish imagery. For example, we submitted garments for the launch of a new product, the advert was shot—and then rejected by the company because of the clothing used. They felt it was too outrageous—we are only talking about a riding jacket and jodhpurs in rubber worn by a girl on a white horse. David Bailey used a male cat-suit on a man in an advert and that too was rejected. However, this was a few years back. This has now definitely become trendy.

EG: How has the fetish clothing scene changed since you started?

KK: The clothing scene has changed hugely since we started, both in terms of producers and participants. The numbers of outlets have expanded, and are more like "ordinary" retail shops, instead of the blackened windows that used to demarcate a sex shop—look at how Ann Summers has re-branded in response to the increased openness. In the past, we generally only sold to men. Men bought (often a reluctant) wife or girlfriend her rubber clothing. Now women buy their own. They have their own ideas on how they want to look and are not just a reflection of their partners' fantasies. A rubber dress for a woman now is just one of the "little black dresses" that is a must in a girl's wardrobe. A new phenomenon is women encouraging their men to buy dresses for themselves—to bring out their feminine side.

EG: How has the fetish scene in general changed in London since you've started?

KK: The fetish scene is more relaxed and open; with an awful lot more people involved. When I started it was largely an underground, esoteric world. A lot more younger people have gotten involved. The music scene has changed around it, and it is more professional and organized.

EG:How are your designs received throughout the world?

KK: I essentially got myself known by publishing catalogues which used the best fetish photographers around. I also got a lot of mainstream publicity, in magazines like Vogue, Elle, Women's Wear Daily (we had the cover), which enabled me to reach a larger international audience. Now we can reach the public everywhere through the Internet. I've seen many shops come and go over the years, but we've maintained ourselves.

For further information, advice or to place an order please contact the Ectomorph Sales Office on +44 (0) 20 7697 8588 by phone or fax, email, or write to Ectomorph, 66 Holloway Road, London N7 8JL, England.