Leather Up



	Fits so good: Custom-fit leather by Stormy Leather, XTC and John Rocco available at Fetishes Boutique.

Gay or straight, the culture of leather fits like a glove.

by a.d. amorosi

Leather. Say the word and people react with sexual fervor. The image of the leather-clad conjures — to hetero audiences — the sinewy sonics of Jim Morrison and The Doors, Kitten-With-A-Whip-era Ann-Margret or the rough boys ’n’ girls of the ’50s. To dedicated fetishists and gay leather enthusiasts, leather is lifestyle, beyond mere kitsch obsession. It shapes the wearer’s personality, their culture, the way a snug-fitting pair of pants would. When worn correctly, leather — be it hip-riding leather pants or tapered shirts — is the ultimate material, a second skin. But to be that skin, supple but taut to the touch, it must wrap the body as flesh. The correct fit for most (not all) — be it catsuits, pants, chaps — is tight, tight-fitting, custom-made to suit each body bump and contour. In Philly, finding that fit isn’t so easy.

Move past the Psydde Delicious corsets and spiked paddles at Kali Morgan’s Fetishes Boutique on South Fifth Street, and there’s John Rocco, leather designer, a bald gentleman with a graying goatee, stocky and friendly. Duck into the basement of Fetishes, Rocco’s dungeon workshop/lair, and you’ll get a full history lesson of Leather Philadelphia. The 45-year-old South Philly native started doing leather menswear 16 years ago out of Washington, D.C.’s DC Eagle, a leather bar with a shop inside.

"I got transferred from the kitchen to the sales floor after I got mono," jokes Rocco. "But I didn’t like what I was seeing in terms of quality in the store." So without any training or sewing experience he began to design his own leather goods — what would eventually become Leatherworks.

Before Washington, Rocco was fully part of the Philly gay leather club scene, acting at one time, as president of The Philadelphians MC, the now 25-year-old leather club that meets regularly at the Bike Stop, a gay levi/leather bar. For Rocco, leather is life: It’s as much about the feel, taste, touch and smell as it is the clothing.

"When I was a kid I used to chew on leather. I’m a leather man whether I’m in or out of leather," says Rocco, adding that his brothers in the leather community think likewise.

For all the brotherhood, it’s not easy to get the damn clothes. Sure, there’s the Internet. But how snug a fit can you get via e-mail?

"It’s supposed to be form-fitting," says Rocco. "Before someone gets chaps from me, I’ll do four separate fittings. Fitting is all about re-adjusting." He mentions patterns made of cloth and vinyl and constant re-fitting. "I won’t let anyone walk away whose leather doesn’t fit exactly."

Rocco is one of the few who makes items like unlined restraints, vests, shirts, harnesses, chaps, wristbands, collars and, soon, pants right here in Philly. Previously they could only be fitted on paper in Philly (at Fetishes) and made elsewhere like Northbound Leather in Canada or the Leather Rack in Manhattan. This has made getting tight-fitting leather locally a problem. Ask Mark Cady, City Paper classifieds manager and Mr. Philadelphia Leather 2000, about traveling far and wide for non-retail-rack leather.

"It all depends if you’re looking for fashion, motorcycle wear or erotic wear," says Cady, 35, who has had pants and shirts made at Image Leather and Mr. S in San Francisco and Northbound in Canada. He’s also bought custom-made Rubio Leather, which is fitted and sold at Fetishes.

Both Cady and Rocco are unsure why Philly doesn’t make more of its own custom leather considering the size of the leather community, but competition and cost are plausible reasons.

How does Cady like his leather? When buying, he pays attention to its fit and its texture, pointing out that custom-made pants offer an opportunity to use one piece of leather for an ultra-sleek look.

For Cady, a tight fit shows the mark of a man, a rugged self-confidence. "I like to be in and see a man in tight leather," he says. "It’s very masculine — it tells you who they are and how they feel about their body. It’s acceptable for women to run around in tight leather. Why not a man?"

While Cady says there is no definitive way to have or wear leather he does recommend one thing: "It must be worn without underwear," he says with a laugh. "That’s the most appealing part!"