Stop, Collaborate & Listen - In Love with Leather & Latex

I have always believed strongly in collaboration; of celebrating the strengths of others and working together to find the best solution. I believe that to get the best result you should work with people at the top of their game and not be arrogant enough to assume you can do everything yourself. Two of the materials that I wanted to be able to offer and experiment with at Lascivious were leather and latex, over the years we’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the best in the industry.

Lascivious AW14 - William Wilde Latex Kitty - Photographer - Tom Fraud

Latex
I wanted to include latex in our collections from the early stages; we experimented one season with a latex gusset and bows in a collection called ‘marigold sunshine’ which was really fun, but I felt we could do more. When I was a student I had designed a latex collection that was mixed with feminine spotty mesh and little satin roses. I liked the juxtaposition of the hard and soft and wanted to explore it further. It seemed as though latex had been put in a specific ‘fetish’ box and much like the majority of provocative lingerie at that time, was perceived as cheap and sleazy - I thought more could be done. Two of my favourite latex collaborators are Atsuko Kudo and William Wilde…

Atsuko Kudo
When I first came across latex designer Atsuko Kudo back in 2006, I was blown away by her lace printed latex. It was exactly what I was trying to achieve and I fell in love with her picot edge trims and dainty bows. My enthusiasm paid off and we collaborated. We created a g-string, utilising my pattern cutting skills for a Lascivious low-rise cut and Atsuko’s wonderful printed latex. She also made me a bespoke dress, which I treasure. I’m thrilled to have seen her win countless awards over the years and honoured that at a time that she did not collaborate or sell in other designers stores, she was willing to work with me. Thanks to Atsuko and her partner Simon! 

Lascivious x Atsuko Kudo Collaborations - SS07 & SS09 

William Wilde
I’ve also had the pleasure of collaborating with costume designer and latex impresario William Wilde. We were first introduced by a mutual friend back in 2013 and worked on a range of complimentary pieces and accessories for our SS14 collection. It included large pussy bows, boleros and pencil skirts in a striking aqua and black colour-ways. We focused on a mix and match approach which could allow pieces to be worn from the bedroom or as fashion accessories. William also created a latex version of our best selling Kitty for us in AW14, a version of our iconic Candy showgirls bodysuit for our 10th anniversary collection and we collaborated again for SS17 on a full latex semi-transparent bodysuit, inspired by Allen Jones, robots and nudity. William has always been a wonderful communicator and co-conspirator, with an obsession with showgirls which we can really appreciate! It has been a huge pleasure to work with him over the years. Thank you William! 

Lascivious SS14 - William Wilde Skirt & Bow - Photographer - Wendy Bevan

Leather
Leather wasn’t a material that I had ever worked with, so it made sense to work with artisans and craftspeople that could do this to a high standard. I will talk about the joy of restraint and some other collaborators in future posts! Two of my favourite leather artisans are Úna Burke and Tamzin Lillywhite with whom created some of our most stand out press pieces.

Úna Burke
I first noticed Úna’s work on notjustalabel.com - a site that discovers and supports pioneers in contemporary fashion. Her leather work was exquisite, complex and sculptural, ethical and creative. We began chatting and I visited her at her London Atelier to discuss our potential collaboration. I found her charming - petite and fierce and with a desire to create something with a great quality and style. We connected over our mutual work challenges and bounced ideas around to come up with a selection of beautiful leather pieces to compliment our AW14 collection. The result was a mixture of belts and cuffs with optional restraints that really made the collection something special. My favourite pieces being the ‘lady hips’ belt and a dramatic cuff that would definitely make him put a ring on it! Thanks for the beautiful work Úna!

Lascivious AW14 - Úna Burke Belt - Photographer - Tom Fraud

Tamzin Lillywhite
I was introduced to Tamzin via my PR representation back in 2012 (thanks to Harriet at HPRLondon!). Tamzin is a designer that epitomises her work in her personal style. Her strong directional designs and outlook were really in-keeping with our own aesthetic and the quality, combined with the erotic nature and high-end fashion elements of her collection created a natural synergy between the brands. Together we designed a gold leather bra and knickers (combined with Lascivious mesh panels for wearability), as well as a neck brace, shoulder harness and cuff restraints. The collection has been featured numerous times across various editorials, including Ellie Goulding on the cover of Attitude magazine and Daisy Lowe in Grazia. If we were to emulate our favourite current girl crush, Diana (Wonder Women), this would be the outfit to do it in. Thank you Tamzin!

Lascivious x Tamzin Lillywhite Press - Grazia Magazine & Attitude Magazine 2013 

Header Photo Credit: Lascivious SS15 - William Wilde Latex Body - Photographer - David Yeo