Fashion fetish

The fall fashion issue is the perfect time to run a leather story. Leather is an essential for anyone’s closet. It’s strong and tough, and the fit, feel and smell make you feel powerful and confident.

And who better to collaborate with than Northbound Leather, Toronto’s mecca for leather, latex, chain mail and scale mail (as we recently learned). This Yonge Street institution has been offering leather/fetish goods in all shapes and sizes, and every degree of kink, since 1966!

We gave some of their looks a street spin, showing that you don’t have to wait for fetish parties or a dungeon date to wear leather football pants, a harness or a kilt. Don’t trap them in the closet — wear them for any occasion. Today more than ever, everything you wear (and buy) should be versatile. Pair them with your favourite fitted sweatshirt or baseball cap and your fetish will turn into fashion.

You’ll definitely want to pull them out for Northbound Leather’s annual fashion show, at Toronto’s Sound Academy. Not only will the fetish party of all fetish parties feature a Dream theme — created by three-time producer Carolyn Kelly — but the sexy spectacle will open with the Canadian premiere of Code, a line designed by the late Johnny Giaouris, the son of Northbound’s founder, George Giaouris. Johnny died tragically last April at the age of 21, and he designed only this one collection, which has already been shown to great acclaim in New York. Don’t miss it.

The pieces in this shoot are fiercely sexy but also easily wearable. Johnny obviously had an eye and wanted to bring leather back to the streets; we hope this story makes that dream come true, just a little bit. — Diego Armand

Thanks to Northbound Leather for the amazing stuff and to the guys at The Great Hall for letting us shoot in their majestic space.
Dream, Northbound Leather’s 15th annual fetish fashion show, is Sat, Oct 13 at The Sound Academy, 11 Polson St. Click HERE for a video preview and interview!


All the shots from the shoot (and then some!) in the slide show below.