Yes, Master: The Market, 2010
Without question, my favorite part of IML (meaning the International Mr. Leather festival that takes place annually in Chicago) is the Leather Market, a block’s worth of fetish items, clothing, and sex toy stands stretching throughout the basement of the hosting hotel. This year, IML was centered at the Hyatt Regency Hotel right by Lake Michigan.
IML features a number of dance parties, events, and competitions, but since I am a pro Dom, I usually only have have a chance to go to Leather Market once and then spend the rest of the Memorial Day weekend attending to slaves and clients which holds an upswing (duh) during IML days. Because I’m running around various points in Chicago, from home to the dungeon to the host hotel and back again, attending those events and parties is not typically an option for me and this year was no different.
In some ways, the best gage for me to see where the ever-evolving, ever-changing fetish world is at at the moment is by simply attending the Leather Market which is visited by the full spectrum of the LGBT (and, increasingly, the cool straight) community: “vanilla” folk looking to dip into the kinky side of life for a few hours, the hardcore leather lifestylers, the weekend warriors, the pro Masters, the pro Mistresses, the fetish world stars, etc., and so on.
The mood varies from year to year, depending on what’s going on culturally/socially/politically. 2010 was MUCH better than 2009 in my opinion which may have had something to do with the space itself (a step up from last year), the progress of the initiative to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, the economy (painfully, sluggishly) repairing, and the overall slowly improving degree of acceptance that is taking place throughout America regarding the LGBT community and those of alternative sexualities. Little bit by little bit the US changes every year and you can truly detect it by the subtle changes that emerge at IML through the zeitgeist of the event, the collective temperament of the attendees, and even the introduction of new products for purchase.
What I wasn’t expecting, at all, was the mood leaning towards a more gentle brand of S&M based on roleplay exchanges and restraint rather than the emphasis on heavy-duty punishment. I saw quite a bit of men in bondage and “forced” molestation but not as much of the torture porn that I’ve seen in past years. People seemed more light-hearted and, even, giggly. Maybe next year it will be more doom, gloom, and whipped skin? We’ll see.
As far as products go, Leather Market featured a bounty of classic gear and toys, from mid-range to the pinnacle of quality. I noticed that there seems to be more easy-to-use toys (or was it my imagination?) emerging now that make play and “torture” more accessible to all shapes and sizes rather than just those “in the know” of how to use obscure toys or those with idealized proportions. This is long overdue and it seems that vendors are catching on to reality a bit more and winning new customers. The extensive stands belonging to Mr. S Leather (based out of San Francisco) and Fort Troff (based out of England), in particular, were extremely impressive and showed how dedicated these two companies are when it comes to exploring/inventing gear on the cutting edge. The biggest enemy of the fetish world is stagnation and it’s clear that these two giants of kink refuse to sit idle. That being said, many of the smaller, speciality stands featured innovative items, which I had never seen before, that were totally unique and affordable. I was more than happy to whip out my wallet and now I have a few new toys that are perfect for improving my style of sessioning.
Leather Market (and IML in general) is, of course, based on sex and fashion. The name Leather Market can be misleading in some ways because not everything, these days, is all about the leather. Leather coats, harnesses, hats, chaps, boots, etc. will always be the main staple but, from what I could tell, latex and rubber clothing continues to make its presence displayed in increasing amounts. It felt like half the guys were not in leather—they were in shiny rubber or latex or, in smaller degrees, lycra. The tastes of the fetish world are changing as a new generation enters the community, embracing the classics along with the emerging styles and textures that satisfy a diverse range of 21st century desires.
I’m already wondering what 2011 will hold for the fetishists and into what directions they’re heading.
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