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 It's likely that no sexual subculture is so defined by what it wears than the BDSM fetish scene. After all, fashion and what's on one's body is integral to how you're perceived and noticed at a munch or club, or even on the street if you've got the bollocks to wear PVC in public. Whether you need to see or be seen, whether you're a dom or a sub, whether you're sophisticated or slutty (or both), clothes make the fetishist. Is there anything that can better instantly sum up a personality type than a pair of stiletto heels and a latex rubber catsuit? If there is, I haven't seen it.  And when it comes to that catsuit, or that corset, or that cat o' nine tails, House of Harlot is the first name that pops up for many London fetishists. Clearly, they have established themselves as a premiere clothier, managing to branch out from a small, exclusive client-based service into the mainstream consciousness and onto international fashion runways.House of Harlot manufactures, wholesales, and retails via mail-order a range of high-quality, well-tailored, well-designed garments and ancillary products aimed at the fetish enthusiast. With a sample range of more than 200 styles, Harlot can cater to an awful lot of tastes. While they offer a range of leather garments (albeit outsourced), clearly their specialty is latex rubber. They offer made-to-measure, custom design service and solutions and sport a reputation for quick delivery, especially with such detail. In addition to catering to individual tastes, House of Harlot is also well known for providing costumes for films, promotional videos, stage, and advertising campaigns, as well as a variety of artists, pop stars, and fetish divas.  After graduating from the prestigious art college Central Saint Martins, Robin Archer started House of Harlot in 1991. Archer felt that the fetish scene had gone slightly stale in terms of fashion sense."Fetish fashion was in need of a revolution," Archer writes. "Leather and chain were to make way for new material. PVC and existing rubber designs were to make way for sexier, flexible ones. A cry for a new shepherd was echoed to lead a herd of sacred cows to new pastures." Thus she concentrated on the relatively bold new world of latex rubber, a material which not only showcased the human body in a different way than leather, but also glistened in a shiny, modern way that ol' rawhide simply lacked. It began with a small client base, but soon exploded as celebrities ranging from Marilyn Manson to the Spice Girls were spotted in their fine rubber and leather fetish fashions. House of Harlot designs are a staple of the Rubber Ball, of course, and can be purchased at shoppes around the world. They manufacture all of their own stuff, and their reputation for quality has resulted in collaborations with couture houses like Christian Dior and Thierry Mugler.  House of Harlot's presence has become ubiquitous in Britain, and not just among fetishists —as rubber and fetish design has crept into the mainstream, so has the premiere designer. The House regularly executes commissions for television and printed advertising campaigns, everything from Boddingtons Beer spots to MacLean's toothpaste adverts.Today, House of Harlot distributes its rubber wares as far and wide as America, Germany, the Far East, Hong Kong, and Australia, as well as offering custom made designs through its website (www.house-of-harlot.com). There's even a virtual mannequin on the site that sums up the requisite measurements necessary for a custom fit. So if you long to have your bod clad in latex (and not just by way of condom), head out to a munch and ask about House of Harlot. You're sure to get lots of feedback, and maybe even a phone number! For more information see: www.house-of-harlot.com.
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