Talking About The Kit — The London Leatherman (2024)

For issue #28 of Mensfile Magazine, complete The London Leatherman (Pride & Clarke and Dave Carroll) outfits feature in the editorial ‘The Leather Studio’, alongside looks by Lewis Leathers and The Real McCoy’s.

You can pick up your issue of Mensfile Magazine now, here: Stockists — Men's File (mensfile.com)

Photography by: Nick Clements. Studio Direction: Saaya Nohara. Styling: Bianca Turrini and Shehab Abdelrahman

Styling with The London Leatherman accessories covers all sorts of genre references from biker, punk rock and pop, to high-end couture, vintage, fetish and kink. For Autumn Winter 2023 South Korean, London based menswear designer GOOMHEO along with stylist Gerry O’Kane fused genres to create this photoshoot for the collection ‘Riders’, a shoot the press have described as showcasing ‘grungy beefcakes with a penchant for big boys toys’. Gerry chose some key The London Leatherman accessories to compliment the styling for the series of images that make up the GOOMHEO AW23 Lookbook which can be viewed in its entirety here: GOOMHEO

Photographer: Heji Shin

Writer and entrepreneur Dave Darcy Edmonds epitomises the post punk cross-over into the London fetish scene being the Editor at Large at Skin Two Magazine. He has long black hair down to his waist, is almost always wearing an impressive leather jacket and can out punk anyone when it comes to regaling first-hand accounts of going to infamous punk rock gigs and of buying clothing directly from Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood for his own clothing shop in Birmingham, England.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. Like most of Dave (Carroll)’s friendships, you and him are bonded by your enthusiasm for clothing, in particular Seditionaries’ by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren. 45 years on, you can both still talk at length about Seditionaries’, I find this both rational and absurd! Why do you think the interest for Seditionaries has carried on for so long?

A. I think for several reasons. Seditionaries is almost unique as a collection. It’s almost couture designed for streetwear. Its also art and politics and social commentary. The designs are so strong and confrontational that they've never become quaint or dated. It could be argued that they are more contentious and liable to offend now than when originally released. They have not aged with time, or lost their power. They incorporate themes around anger, rebellion, DIY culture, and gender roles and politics that were years ahead of everyone else.

It would be difficult to point to another clothing collection that has endured so long or that sparked movements, bands and all manner of culture across the entire world. New methods of clothing production and/or printing have not superseded them, in fact, the attention to detail on items like the parachute shirts and anarchy shirts is rarely present in clothing of any level today.

Q. The stories you have from your time as a punk rocker, the clothing you bought and adventures you had with your friends like Jordan Mooney capture such an important time in fashion and sub-culture history. How did you come to be a punk rocker?

A. With an Irish father I’d grown up in Birmingham but ostensibly left home by the age of 18 (gap year never went back). I was kind of an unusual kid, sexually straight but I much preferred girly things. I grew up in the area with the biggest density of immigrants in all of Europe. I was used to seeing Irish, Black, Asian, African, et al people from early childhood. I didn't view them as any different from anyone else (no better, no worse) but events around me gave me strong emotion around equality and social justice. I only really liked girls in the vein of Emma Peel, Morticia Addams, Fenella Fielding, biker girls, outsiders. I was at Bourneville College with David Claridge (Skin Two club pioneer and also Roland Rat) and via him I got a ticket to see David Bowie. I was doing A levels in Law, Economics, and Economic and Social History with a view to University and a career either in law or estate agency. It was the Bowie Ziggy Stardust tour at Birmingham Town Hall, a few days before the famous Hammersmith Odeon Ziggy finale. I'd seen a few of the dressed up, flamboyant, Bowie girls around the city ....... vintage clothing, dressed like Bowie/Roxy Music ...... but suddenly I was surrounded by 100's of them. At that concert I found my place in the world. I didn't need to be rich, have a well paid respected career, or have a big house, or a top end car, all that I wanted was to be near girls like that forever. It wasn't just sex it was everything ..... their creativity, their spirit, rebellion. The way they looked, dressed, thought, acted. Those Bowie kids, me included, were ready for punk. Bowie was being absorbed by the mainstream, he was no longer "ours"; we wanted something new to separate us from the majority, the mundane, the normal, punk ticked all the boxes and more. People talk of punk and various types of empowerment, its mostly middle class crap. People like Malcolm and Vivienne, Jordan, Siouxsie, The Clash, Polystyrene, Wayne/Jayne County ..... they didn't "challenge" convention or "break the rules" they just totally and utterly f*cking ignored them in every way possible and they didn't need a flag to march behind or the approval of The Guardian writers.

Q. The transition from punk rock into the London fetish scene was a ‘thing’ and many prominent figures that were immersed in punk rock from an early age made the distinct cross-over, especially in the 90s. People who spring to mind are Ben Westwood with his photography, Joe Corre in founding Agent Provocateur, Steve Beech of Westward Bound and you and the team behind Skin Two Magazine. Why do you think punk rock and fetish are so intertwined?

A. I think probably for several reasons. The fact that Seditionaries was preceded by SEX is the first. Punk style fashions, and the people in and around the early punk/Seds scene, were frequently involved in alternative sexual scenes (gay, lesbian, fetish, leather) and several - at least - were involved/employed as what would now be called sex workers. The punk kids liked to shock and be confrontational and fetish was an easy look to trigger a reaction. Certainly punk and alternative kids made up a fair portion of the early contributors to the newer, younger, fetish scene, clubs, fashions, and magazines that evolved in the early 80's. I would not want to over emphasis this (as there's no end of virtue signalling others to do that) but I also think that a large part of punks legacy was empowerment. At the time I thought very much of the DIY ethic offered to working class kids like myself but I now realise that all kinds of minorities ...... race and colour wise. Women, non-mainstream sexualities, et al ..... were welcomed and given a platform and a voice via punk and the sub cultures that sprang from it; fetish and gay men/gay leather scene I would include there.

Q. Skin Two Magazine, how do you describe it to anyone who is just now discovering it?

A. It’s no longer published as a magazine but there are still copies around from all decades. At one point - pre internet - it provided a valuable resource for everything in that scene ...... from clubs and retailers, to models and personalities. The label (every aspect of Skin Two save for print magazine) is now owned by Honour.co.uk, they produce original items as well as new designs and carry forward the ideology.

Q. It’s rare to look through any fetish (especially bondage, dominatrix, leather) magazines produced in England, the USA and parts of Europe from 1972 through to 1979 and not see a piece of The London Leatherman featured on a model, male or female. We have a substantial collection of these now vintage publications, how have fetish magazines from this era influenced your own work?

A. Most of my original T-shirt designs for my own label "Pure Sex" and many that I designed for BOY London were very directly influenced by both fetish magazines and books. The John Willie book "The Adventures of Sweet Gwendoline" was a very direct inspiration for both the early Ants T-shirts and my own. That book was also the primary reference for most of the clothes I designed/produced for Pure Sex and my shops in Kensington Market and Hyper Hyper. Magazines such as Eric Stanton, Bettie Page, Bill Ward, and others also provided ideas and direction.

Q. When you think of The London Leatherman what springs to mind?

A. The first label of its kind that I can remember and certainly the best. I first visited the Battersea shop in the Seditionaries era. It was kinda intimidating but also just fabulous - like you'd wandered into the world of Tom of Finland. I didn't have personal interest in the gay leather scene but I found the clothes and imagery very seductive.

I think Punk found an easy association with outsiders and outliers of all types, as diverse as The London Leatherman and (a) Don Letts reggae playlist.

Q. Do you currently have any favourite The London Leatherman pieces you wear or have your eye on?

A. Yes. I have an original Muir cap that I got from the Battersea shop - I'd love to wear it but I'm too scared of losing it. I think I also have some belts and wristbands somewhere. More recently Faye Dowling gave me one of The London Leatherman mask long sleeve T-shirts that featured in the Horror Show exhibition at Somerset House. I've worn that out several times without really thinking of the impact it may, and has, provoked.

Q. Do you have any exciting projects you’re working on this summer 2023?

A. To be honest I’m always doing things. I actually hesitate to call it work, even though it pays bills, because I've been lucky that everything I've ever done I wanted to do and enjoyed. I've had jobs in fashion design, vintage clothing, magazine production, writing, photography, ticket tout and general spiv, and (as a) pro dom in a famous New York dungeon. I enjoyed all those things and I was, and still am, happy to do them seven days a week. I don’t have patience to sit around. I crave constant mental and artistic (?) stimulation. I wanna be around great, inspirational people (particularly girls) that make their life, their outfits, their environment, everything they touch, from food to a toothbrush, an inspiring and evolving work of art. Current projects include working on Faye Dowlings GothShop online website/zine, Contributor to Salvation magazine - published in print and online by Nigel Wingrove of Salvation/Redemption films, magazines, dvd’s, and general mischief infamy. I’m collaborating on a proposed large scale event with Skin Two/Honour and Ricardo Castro the promoter for the total legendary Slimelight club nights (and several other club nights and events under the Dark Room London umbrella). I've also started work on a range of fetish influenced prints and clothing items for my Japanese ex g/f who has a shop in Osaka, Japan.

I'd like to do more photos and styling on photos but there's a mass of Instagram models but a near zero number of people that can, will, want, to do something in the real world.

Paul Breuer, purveyor of vintage clothing, specialising in menswear and vintage workwear. He's been a trader at London’s famous Portobello Market on a Friday since the early 90s, where he's as famous for his wicked sense of humour as he is for his vast knowledge of vintage menswear. He co-foundered the clothing archive, showroom and store Breuer & Dawson in Margate, Kent and in 2018 he offered Dave a pair of The London Leatherman leather jeans which sparked the official revival of the label, these jeans are stored safely in The London Leatherman archive.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. You and Dave have known each other for quite a few decades now. Do you remember when you met? Do you have any fond memories of being at Portobello Market together?

A. I’m guessing me and Dave met in the late 80s at Portobello, pretty sure we bonded over our mutual love of punk rock. From The Clash, through to the UK Subs and 999. I must’ve heard Dave’s story about seeing the UK Subs at Battersea Town Hall about 8,000 times.

Both of us loved the Penny Smith photo book The Clash: Before & After and it always struck me that we were probably doing the same thing (growing up), 200 miles apart, I was in the North-West, he was in London and we were both buying old suits and taking in the trouser legs to try and look like The Clash.

Q. You have a mutual interest in punk rock and you like many of the same bands. How has punk or these bands influenced you and your work? (i.e you were in a band yourself and you’ve always had a great collection of vintage denim, leather and band shirts on your stall.)

A. I don’t think I would’ve got into selling vintage clothes if it wasn’t for my love of music. Starting off with Bowie and Mott The Hoople moving onto The Clash, Chelsea and The Adverts, clothing was always as important as the music. The tribal element of the British music scene was extremely important to me, and still is to this day with regards to what I look for in vintage clothing.

Q. Do you have any key memories of vintage punk rock clothing being at Portobello Market?

A. One of my key memories is suddenly a load of Paul Simonon’s clothing turning up, I think Dave‘s friend Miles had something to do with it. I remember getting a couple of cardigans and a pair of trousers, didn’t look quite as good on me as they did on him.

Another time, a load of old clothes belonging to Screaming Lord Sutch turned up, not exactly punk, but definitely a cornerstone of British rock ‘n’ roll..

Q. How would you describe your business? Are you consulting on/ specialising in/ sourcing/ offering any particular styles or eras of clothing at the moment?

A. My business has evolved over the years, I now sell very little American vintage, specialising almost entirely in British and European vintage clothing. Times and taste changes over the years..

Not sure, I have an overall philosophy, if I like it, I buy it, if I can make a profit on it, so much the better.

Q. (Without giving away your sources!) What tips would you give to collectors of vintage The London Leatherman wanting to source specific pieces? Does much of it turn up at Portobello Market or at Breuer & Dawson?

A. As far as The London Leatherman pieces, good luck, not easy to find. But remember kids, the harder you work the luckier you get.

Q. What are you working on or hope to work on for 2023?

A. My aims for the future are to keep working for as long as I enjoy it, which I still do.

Artist Mark Wardel is often defined by the distinctive portraits of his famous and fabulous friends he’s been painting since circa 1978 and for unearthing a 1974 cast of David Bowie’s face he used to create his much coveted Bowie Masks. An 80s club kid who wore head to toe Antony Price and was immersed in the British rocker (leather) style that had a major resurgence in 1979 and into the 80s.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. Mark, we were first introduced at an event at the BFI (British Film Institute), what would you say are your top 5 leather looks in film?

A. The big bang moment of the leather in movies universe has to be Brando in 'The Wild One' then of course there'sKenneth Anger's 'Scorpio Rising'then there's a fabulous British spin on the biker look in 'The Leather Boys' which always puts me in mind of my sadly missed friend Johnny Stuart as stills from this film almost look like scenes from his life or shots from his legendary photo albums. Apart from traditional Rocker leather I'm a sucker for 1970s gangster movie leather coats and bomber jackets as epitomised by some of the great costumes in 'Donnie Brasco'....oh and any leather in the Warhol films!

Q. There’s a fantastic photo of you in full leather on a motorcycle, styled and taken by the legendary leather wearing ‘Rocker’ Johnny Stuart. How did this photo come to be?

A. I was introduced to Johnny by Steve Strange in 1979 and really hit it off with him and his partner Eddie. Johnny knew everyone from aristocrats to rockers to bike boys to Blitz kids and gave the best parties at his amazing art and antiques filled Notting Hill house. Me and the likes of Steve Strange and other friends would often hang out at Johnny's and end up being photographed in some of his massive collection of biker gear. Btw, any pop video of the era featuring leather rocker gear and you can guarantee it will have come from Johnnys!

Q. Dave and I have a print of your ‘Leatherman by TradeMark’ artwork in our office, an artwork we feel honoured to own and that captures a glamourised version of a rocker/ biker. What inspired you to create this piece?

A.Thank you. This image stems from one of my most popular flyer artworks. Back in the '90s I was producing artwork/imagery, flyers and ads for the big London gay nights at Heaven, Trade, Village Youth etc. and the 'Leather Man' has long been an icon of the gay world so I decided to create a Leatherman/high fashion fusion as a kind of updated icon for the 'scene'.

Q. The London Leatherman label was officially founded in the early 70s, it’s core styling being a fusion of a new British leather look and the clone look (with tight cire cap sleeved T-shirts) that was coming out of New York at the time. You’ve been interviewed on the ‘Clone Look’ before, how would you sum up the British version of the ‘Clone Look’ to anyone who’s wondering what it is?

A. Is there a defined 'clone' look these days? I'm not sure! The late 70s/early 80s clone look was a definite gay sub-culture movement influenced by the scenes in San Francisco and New York and was really a kind of 'Butch Drag'version of hyper masculinity...this look spread to London and I remember being at the opening of Heaven in '79 being amazed to see asea of guys all with crew cuts, moustaches, tight T-shirts, check shirts, Levis and work boots partying like there was no tomorrow beneath the lasers…the clones. Everything today is such a post modern remix of elements from the past and subcultures are not as rigidly defined as they were so the term really has a different meaning now.

Q. Do you have any favourite The London Leatherman pieces from the archive or new, you own or hope to own, that spring to mind?

A. I already own several The London Leatherman T-shirts which I totally love and always get asked about whenever I wear one ...which is frequently. I'm a sucker for hats and currently have my eye on some of the great LLM caps such as the Teddy Boy and the Speedway cap.

Q. What looks better a leather jacket, a pair of leather trousers or both worn together?

A. Unless you are a genuine Biker/Rocker or heading to a Leather fetish clubI believe it's best to go with either one or the other and personally, I like a black leather Biker jacket with tight blue jeans...a classic look.

Q. You’re everyone’s go to when they have a questions about David Bowie or looking to cross check anything Bowie!? He’s been a huge influence on your work and your self-styling over the years, where does your Bowie story begin?

A. I only really know about '70s Bowie who I discovered age 14 in the summer of 1972 but went on to have the honour amazingly to meet, sell work toand even be the recipient of a 1979 hand written letter from!! I'm from a seaside town...New Brighton near Liverpool(where the pre-fame Beatles played many times) and everyschool holiday I'd havesummer jobs either on the Pier or in the arcades ...it was all very a ‘That'll be the day' existence . One day in summer of '72 on a break from selling rock and buckets and spades I went across to the tea stall to get a cuppa and at the stall waiting for coffees were two of the teddy boys from the fair and one was telling his mate about an outrageous gig he'd just been to at the Liverpool stadium in which the singer who was "half man-half woman" wore make-up and space suits on stage! This all sounded amazing and I eavesdropped long enough to catch the singers name...David Bowie. I had heard and liked Starman on the radio and loved it(being into both pop music and UFOs ) but had no idea of who the singer was so that lunch break I ran out to the news agent and bought a couple of pop magazines and came face to face with Ziggy Stardust the coolest, strangest and most amazing alien/human I had ever seen and apparently also gay! ...finally a role model I could identify with being fairly alienated myself as an orphan just coming to terms with being gay ...my world and my direction in life totally changed that day and Bowie has been the major influence and cultural education on all areas of my life and work ever since.

Q. Of the hundreds of portraits you’ve created, who would be your top five sitters so far and why? (I realise this is like asking a mother to pick a favourite child!)

A. I couldn't possibly answer that one...I'd have to leave town!

Q. What are you working on in your studio at the moment, anything you can talk about?

A. I have mainly spent the last couple of years working on Bowie artworks for a book I have co-written with US writer Susan Compo about the making of the iconic Bowie rockumentary 'Cracked actor' . We had access to the original 1975 BBC production file and also the film's original producer Alan Yentob who has written the foreword to the book. We also conducted interviews with many of the people involved in the film. The book is called 'David Bowie and Cracked actor-The Fly In The Milk' and is due out in September on Red Planet Books. Apart from that I am still produciing club artwork imagery most notably for the Glitterbox global party brand. There will also hopefully be a long delayed Mark Wardel gallery show at some point in the near future.

Contemporary Art by Mark Wardel aka Trademark – TrashDNA (trash-dna.myshopify.com)

Damon Williams is the Bass player for the leather wearing, British heavy metal band Horse London that formed in 1987. He still plays bass as a session musician for bands of the heavy rock genre and still wears plenty of black clothing but is more Rick Owens than Rob Halford when it comes to style. He’s the guy always on the guest list or back stage with a band and when he’s not travelling the world he can usually be found sipping a herbal tea on the Kings Road, Chelsea.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. You’ve worn leather on stage, in your everyday life and for motorcycling, what do you look for when you’re shopping for leather and do any The London Leatherman or P&C pieces spring to mind?

My first significant leather jacket was a Johnson's La Rocka! from Paradise Garage in Cardiff, kudos to that shop for being ahead of the game outside London at that time. Bought it for my 21st, I still have it and it still fits. I've owned and traded many leathers since then, it's always been something that's part of my wardrobe.

I remember, back in the day, with my first publishing money from my band, I invested heavily in made to measure Leather trousers, jackets and waistcoats at Red Balls On Fire in Kensington Market, who I suppose were a kind of Chrome Hearts of the day.

Now I only have two leather jackets, a Lewis Leathers (can I say that?) Super Sportsman sheep hide and an Indian Motorcycles leather with body armour for riding.

I think The London Leatherman has some great unique pieces, favourite amongst them being the Highway Patrol Jacket, also, can't forget about the Galaxy belt, which I've owned for years and have become very attached to.

Q. Spinal Tap references are a running joke amongst you, Dave and your mutual friends. Do you have any memorable ‘Spinal Tap’ moments from being on tour or in the studio with any band?

A. Over the years of touring I've seen some classic examples of some nonsense Spinal Tap moments, some I can't say as I'll never work again but...Up at the top of that list was a festival in Spain where I was watching T*****d S****r from side of the stage where a headset mic on a lead got caught in someone's 'hair' and started pulling off his syrup...That was rough.

Q. You and Dave have a long time mutual interest and appreciation for all sorts of motorcycles from Harley’s to Super Bikes. What are you riding at the moment? Do you have your eye on something you want? What’s been your favourite bike so far?

A. Funnily enough, I actually met Dave around motorcycles, I think it was when he had his BSA chop if I'm not mistaken.

On the subject of motorcycles, since growing up in rural Wales I've been involved with them all my life. I love most things two wheels but they've bitten me back badly a couple of times, one time I broke my arm badly racing Motocross in California and another was when a stolen car pulled out in front of me in London, went over the car and smashed my bike and wrist to bits.

Over the years I've been fortunate enough to own most of the bikes I've wanted and had a nice classic bike collection at one time. I've had some great motorcycling adventures around the world, mostly on Harleys and an Africa Twin.

I think maybe the chase is better than the catch as I've let them all go in search of the next 'one'.....I'd say my favourite bikes so far have been all of them....seriously, looking back I'd have to say it was a black, tuned '80 Ironhead Sportster (which I sold to a film company that threw it off a cliff), close second would be the '76 Norton Commando, also worth a mention, a '98 Wide Glide which was stolen in London, Ducati MHR, and a 1200 mile '77 XT 500.

I'm looking for an Evo Electra Glide in black at the moment but, ultimately if money was no object it would be an XLCR.

Q. For anyone who doesn’t know Horse London how do you explain the band? Your 1989 MTV Headbangers Ball interview makes for interesting viewing!

A. Horse London was formed from an idea I’d hadbrewingsince around84-85, around that time there was a sharpturnaround when it was ok to be into Rock again, everyone got the Led Zeppelin cassettes out, mainly thanks to The Cult's Love album.Having beenaroundthe London clubs, especiallyBatcaveetcyou could feelthe shifttowards Rock againwhen the Positive punk/Goth scene started to run out of steam.

Bands like ZodiacMindwarpfilled the Rock n Rollvacuum for a while, and as much as I found their image entertaining and interesting, having always been a Rocker at heartsomething with more of an AC/DCDNA based sensibility appealed to me.

Horse Londonwas a simple concept,a Hard Rock, Punk, Glammelting pot, similar in fact to the Guns & Roses template, delivered honestly and authentically.

Inevitably though, too much too soon and the‘Live Fast, Die Young’ maximmeant the whole thing imploded big time on the eve of a US tour after we'd just recorded one album.

There have been a few calls from promoters etc to resurrect it recently, we did try but we're all so different now it just didn't work. Musically it still sounded great, as raw and hard as ever but the personalities were just too different after such a long break.

I’ve been quite lucky over the years, through playing bass, to have been able to pick and choose the tours offered. Some worked out really well, others not so much. I haven’t drunk for 10 years so I find it difficult to fit into the Rock n Roll lifestyle these days.
I have a nice bass playing job coming up with a band I’ve liked for a while, lots of good things lined up for later this year/early next.

Q. Many of the Horse London band members have relocated to my home town of Melbourne, Australia and you’ve spent some time recording out there. How would you compare the music, biker and style scenes out there compared to London?

A. Yes, I've spent a lot of time recording and writing in Melbourne over the past few years and I've got to understand and appreciate the city. Certainly met some unique characters...
Melbourne actually has a rich musical heritage, there's an interesting history going back to the Sharpies, and from that scene there's a timeline through to the 12 bar based tradition of AC/DC, Rose Tattoo etc which is where the world picked up on it.

On the subject of how things are in other countriesand how they do things, I’m sure Dave will agree with me on this, we were very fortunate to have grown up through the 70’s/80’s Britain with such unique youth cultures and varied musical creativity. The one thing the UK has always got right is music and style. A huge worldwide reach for such a small island….

Q. Every time we see you, you’re about to head off to another part of the world. How is your travel itinerary looking for 2023, do you have any destinations on your travel wish list?

A. Well, I do like to get out and take in as much of this planet as I can, travel broadens the mind and all that….I got back from a month in Colombia in February, Ibiza, Portugal, Finland later this month. On my way to Amsterdam on a guitar buying trip as I write this. Later in the year LA/California for a while, India/Sri Lanka then Japan/Australia to get the tattoo on my back finished by TenTenTattoo.

I’ll be relocating to Europe for a couple of months from May for a change of scenery…So I suppose I do 'get around a bit', I have housesin Mumbles in Wales but it's not my 'home', trying to be a 'citizen of the world' and luckily there's a lot of world out there to go and see..

Dana Gillespie and David Shasha are the co-authors of Dana’s autobiography Weren’t Born A Man (Hawksmoor Publishing), a book that chronicles a life so outrageously cool, glamourous and eventful you find yourself asking ‘How can I be more like Dana?!’ Dana took the Polaroid photo of David Bowie wearing the LW19 Soft Lip Mask circa 1973, which features in her book along side a series of must-see Polaroids.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. Dana, we were initially introduced by the DJ and Art Curator Martin Green to confirm that it is indeed David Bowie under the LW19 leather mask in your famous Polaroid photo. In your autobiography Weren’t Born A Man your time in NYC with David & Angie Bowie is captivating, insightful, fascinating. How did this moment with the leather mask come about?

A. (Dana) Bowie went shopping to a sex shop and came back with a bag of toys and the mask was one of them. I asked him to put it on, snapped the photo, and only people who knew his naked body would know it’s him. He was falling about with laughter at his bag of toys, but I never saw them in action, so I don’t know whether he actually used them or not.

Q. David, what was it like delving into Dana’s famous Polaroid archive and to reference them when articulating such an important time in music history and pivotal part of the book?

A. (David) It was incredibly exciting. Dana has boxes of Polaroid photos taken in the early seventies with the camera given to her by Tony Defries (the manager she shared with David Bowie). Funnily enough, many of the pictures of Bowie had been stuck in an album that Dana had given to Tony, and we were thrilled to be able to recover it from Tony Zanetta (who ran Mainman for Defries in the States) while we were working on the book. That was where we found the mask photo.

Q. The London Leatherman masks can be confronting for some people, others find them fascinating, hilarious, kinky and an important piece of sub-culture history. How do you feel about the masks and why do you think artists like David Bowie and Adam Ant were drawn to them?

A. (Dana) Bowie always liked the bizarre, and in a way a lot of his stage act was being an alter ego which is a bit like wearing a mask. He used a mask as part of his stage act but I think that came from when he worked with the wonderful mime artist Lindsay Kemp as the whole part of some of his shows was to be someone else, and a mask helps with that.

Q. David, for anyone that is just now discovering Dana and her work, how do you describe her to them?

A. (David) A force of nature. I have taken many friends to see Dana’s shows in the last few years, and they have all commented on her amazing energy and love of performing. Anyone who has read her book cannot fail to be amazed by her remarkable life.

Q. Dana, reading Weren’t Born A Man feels very intimate, just like sitting in a living room with you as you tell your incredible sex, drugs and rock'n roll/ blues story. One also gets the sense that David Shasha really knows his stuff when it comes to music history and it’s relevant sub-cultures. What would you say were the highlights of collaborating with David Shasha?

A. (Dana) Well, it kept us both relatively sane during the Covid lockdown. We spoke almost daily to work on the book, using Skype and a mobile phone, and it was a lot of fun going through my old scrap books and trawling through old stories that had been distant memories for me. I keep thinking we should do a second volume as so many stories got left out, but at least the book has great photos and we managed to get the Audible version done too, with me reading it of course. It was a great distraction from the pandemic!

Q. Artist Mark Wardel recently painted the cover portrait for the album Dana Gillespie 73 Live At The Tam, it’s a great portrait and quite Bowie-esq. From the hundreds of Dana Gillespie portraits and official photographs created over the years, what are your top three (favourite’s) and why?

A. (Dana) Bowie loved Mark Wardel’s art and so do I as I think he did a really great cover for my album.

I also think that Gered Mankowitz did some amazing photos of me. These were used for the Weren’t Born A Man album as well as the book. Gered has been photographing me since 1964 and he really captured me well when I was in the corset, stockings and suspenders. This might seem a little tame now but back in 1972 it was unheard of, that a singer should be so (un)dressed for an album cover. However, at the same time that this record was released, Bowie was on the cover of his album wearing a dress. Also unheard of then!

The photograph that Terry O’Neill took of me in 1973 was used by Andy Warhol to create the silk screen portrait that was used as the cover of my Mainman album called ‘Ain’t Gonna Play No Second Fiddle’ which still looks amazing all these years later. Terry O’neill was always known as one of the top photographers in the 70s and 80s and I consider it an honour that I have an Andy Warhol cover done of it.

A. (David) The first one has to be the cover of Dana’s Weren’t Born A Man album. Dana has already described it, but I can clearly remember one of my schoolmates bringing the vinyl record into school one day and the impact it had on a bunch of testosterone- fueled teenage boys (!)From the same period, there is a great photo taken by Mick Rock at the Cafe Royal in London in July 1973, at a party to mark the “retirement” of Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust character. Dana is sitting at a table of real rock royalty – with Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, Bowie, Jeff Beck and Mick Ronson.And staying with that period, Lee Black Childers took a photo of Dana, Tony Defries and Bowie at the Roundhouse in 1971, which I have always liked.

Q. Ken, the founder of The London Leatherman label started his career making and selling his clothing on the Kings Road, Chelsea. In the 1960s he made frill shirts that Mick Jagger wore and men’s trousers so tight it left very little to the imagination. Both being Chelsea locals, what was the Kings Road really like in the 60s & 70s?

A. (Dana) I had a great time in Chelsea in the 60s and 70s. The King’s Road was a cool place to go as you could sit in a cafe and watch the world go by and as mini skirts had just been invented, guys would oggle the birds and the girls would swagger and strut their stuff, feeling great in either mini skirts or colourful hippie outfits. Sadly, the King’s Road is now just full of the same old shops you find everywhere and the individuality has gone, and anyway these days if you tried to chat up a girl you’d probably get arrested. It was much more fun back in the day!

A. (David) (No idea – I grew up in Manchester!!)

Q. If you were to pick just one person, who's inspiring you the most, creatively, right now in 2023?

A. (Dana) No one is very inspiring these days. I’ve just come back from the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas and the best band there was the Zombies, also from the 60s, so not much thrills me artistically or musically these days. Also, the music of the 60s and 70s will be remembered far longer than anything that any songs that comet now. Maybe it’s because they all sound the same and melody isn’t the priority. Money seems to be the motivation and all these so called talent shows on TV just highlight a get- rich- quick attitude. Everyone wants to be a celebrity which is a joke. You have to earn your stripes!

A. (David) Ian Hunter, former lead singer of seventies glam rockers Mott the Hoople, will shortly be celebrating his 84th birthday and is about to release a new album – with another scheduled for release later in the year.

Q. Do you have a favourite leather wearing musician?

A. (Dana) Sadly, I can’t think of any. From the old days, I’d say that the guys from Kiss, or Alice Cooper or Suzi Quatro has some style.

A. (David)I would have said Jim Morrison, but Dana has just reminded me about Suzi Quatro… !!

Q. Do you have any upcoming projects you're working on together or individually you can disclose here?

A. (Dana) I’m always working on new songs so this keeps me busy in-between doing gigs which keeps me on the road.

A. (David) Dana is always busy- if it hadn’t been for Lockdown we would probably still be working on the book now. We have had some conversations about a follow-up, so you never know…

Dana and David's book Weren’t Born A Man the autobiography can be purchased directly from the publisher here: Dana Gillespie Book and eBook - Weren't Born a Man (hawksmoorpublishing.com)

The audiobook, read by Dana, is available on Audible. Dana Gillespie by Dana Gillespie, David Shasha - Audiobook - Audible.co.uk

Jason Watt- Graphic Designer and Photographer. We collaborate with Jason on many of the graphics and print artworks for The London Leatherman, Pride & Clarke and Dave Carroll LND labels. Jason's known Dave since they were both teenagers, they speak the same language when it comes to sub-culture references and style, with the 80s club scene, Seditionaries and Worlds End being their mutual interests. Their collaboration style will often be as simple as a phone call or text resulting with Jason producing exactly what Dave wants to achieve out of a graphic whether it be reworking something from the archive or something completely new.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. Do you remember when or how you and Dave first met? Apparently you were wearing a maroon corduroy blazer, black Sedtionaies Bondage trousers, black Seditionaries leather boots!

A.He says I was wearing a maroon cord blazer with Seditionaries black bondage trousers and Seds ‘antichrist’ boots. It was a great look on a 17 year old in ’83 because so much of that SEX & Seditionaries look was long gone to mohicans and nihilist punk caricature. I seem to think I was wearing some Viv Pirate gear but his memory for clothes is encyclopedic so he's probably right. It was over 40 years ago, I’ve destroyed a lot of brain cells since then. However, I do remember vividly the both of us clocking each other whilst we were in a club, maybe The Mud Club, and he came over with that beaming smile of his and his first line was ‘You look f*cking excellent’ I said something like ‘you beat me to it’ and we had a right laugh that night. Clothes can do wonders like that. First impressions are powerful. The language of clothes and how people wear them opened up more of the world to me.

Q. How has the London club scene (of the 80s)/ Seditionaries/ Worlds End influenced you personally or your work style?

A. The core of punk was self expression and I really took on board the anarchy shirt slogan ‘try subversion’. I’ve always preferred the combination of a well cut quality suit (charity shops were full of them in those days for pence) mixed with leather and studded LLM belts and wristbands and Seds boots. You were showing the adults you could play their game but you chose to do it your wayand with a message. That’s probably why I always preferred Johnny to Sid when it came to clothing, attitude and style. Westwood, McLaren, The Pistols, Dave, along with my other punk pals Rowland and Rob being kids hanging out with the band Brigandage, (the Michelle, Richard, Scott and Ben lineup) gave this kid the sense of playful and politically aware perspective I was looking for in my public image. The club scene…well that was just fantastic. A huge playground of different music and styles.

So much anticipation for the weekend….I worked in a chippy in the evenings, all week just so I had enough dough to pay for Friday night, and give my Mum some money as well. I’d leave early, scrub the smell off, feed the cats with lovely fresh fish and I was in town. On the town. The big meet up place was The Spice of Life (Soho) boozer and it was full of faces and all sorts of styles all eager to kick the weekend right off. To a young 17 year old going to a place like the Batcave where Lydia Lunch, Nick Cave and The Cavemen, Einsturzende Neubaten were playing and then hanging out with everyone in what looked like a scene out of a crazy Dracula movie was life changing. The first time I went to the Mud Club I walked right along the huge snakelike queue up to ‘Madame' Sallon, who always looked tremendous and I said something like 'its really cold in the queue let me in' he just smiled and let me in. Every week I bowled right up wearing Westwood mostly, I took notice of him, had a laugh or a cheeky comment and he’d let me in for free. It was ace. That’s when I fully realised clothes and attitude could actually open doors.

How did the scene affect my work style…with the rawness of the music and lyrics, the delving into history, the juxtaposing and fusion of ideas and styles was an essential part of how I went on to approach my own creative work. Not being typical. A friend once said to me, if you ask someone how they are and the only thing that can say is ‘well I’ve got my health’ he said they’re finished. Energy, vitality and hope come from curiosity and playfulness.

Q. How would you articulate yours and Dave's collaborative style?

A. I think we're like brothers in a world of laughs and ideas. We’re both sort of boffins, geeks, English eccentrics whatever you wanna phrase it as, we are not looking for conformity in order to feel comfortable. Being fascinated, wanting to dig a bit deeper are what we are together. With goofy throwback humour from the days of not taking yourself too seriously even thoughunderneath itall we are really quite serious about ourinterests. So the phrase…. 'Ooh, you are awful, but I like you.’ ...pretty much sums us up.

Q. How did you come to be a photographer/ graphic designer? How would you describe your work? You’ve worked for high-end fashion houses, crossed over into still life photography… you have a Londoner vs Wiltshire life…

A. I’m a classic dabbler. I want everythingall at once. I can’t stop myself wanting to try stuff out. So work wise I keep ontrying new things. I have a 5 year thing. You can get really good at something in 5 years. There are a lot of 5 year chunks in all of us.

Its a strange thing change. A lot of people are afraid of it, or lazyabout it. I came from a lot of family upheaval and personal illness at a very early age so I’ve learnt how you adapt. There are plenty of times when you think that thingscouldn’t get any better than this, at other time’s you think that things can’t get worse, but I know from experience they definitely bloody can. I’m in my 50’s now and I appreciate how a life well lived brings the knowledge that you can handle those dynamics. These days my wits are way more important thanunabashed energy. As I write this I’mpouring a drink from a lead crystal decanter and into a wine glass both of which I made, handblown. I’ve made furniture and interior features to commission and featured in window displays for Paul Smith and Liberties and the like. I’ve travelled the world installing graphics I’ve designed for seriousbluechips like Microsoft and Boeing, which was a lot of pressure and a hell of a lot of fun. I’ve shot the world’s top models backstage at fashion shows as an in-house photographer. English modesty demands I shouldn’t blow my own trumpet so blatantly but why be shy? I’m proud of my achievements, I don’t seek fame, far from it. No website, it’s all word of mouth. I love working with friends, doing stuff I’m interested in andgettingpaid in some way for it. There's no appreciation like someone actually shelling out for your work or services. Sod empty praise.

The transition from old Laaandon town to the sticks was an easy one in terms of newness, I was newly married (never thought I’d do that!) and we agreed thatbringing a child up in the country with our London sensibilities was best. I grew up far too fast in some ways because of city pressures and attractions. I also love the colours of the countryside so that was an exciting newenvironment to immerse myself in and learn about. You make your own entertainment here and you find the people that want to create the best of that as you get amongst it. Mind you, I really do miss the variety of the city in terms of gigs and food. But I’m only a hour onthe train to Paddington so I get to play in the big smoke and live in the fresh air. These days crashing overnight is in a friend’s spare room not a sofa in a squat.

Q. What are your favourite The London Leatherman pieces and why?

A. Studs, leather, buckles and zips, shiny, slinky and bold. Love it. The London Leatherman and the people who wear it are a rich and diverse cross-section of life. From princesses and pervs to rockers and rejects. The attraction is on a tribal level. Statement pieces to symbolise subversive self awareness, animal sexuality and just pure pleasure. My favourite pieces stick out, literally. They remind you you’re wearing them with their weight and sensuality, people notice them and they are in their own way, works of art on the body. My favourites are the ones I wear regularly like theGalaxy and Pistols belts but there’s lots of goodies yet to try.

Q. Is there a The London Leatherman piece you would like to add to your collection and why?

A. From the complete back catalogue, that’s my secret, but on the face of things the leather strides are on my list of wants, oh and a special order Kansas Jacket (aka Centurion Jacket) in dark olive leather would be a dream, the leatherand hardware you use is so damned good.I nick shekels from the holiday fund jar to pay for them but I keep getting caught and getting my hand slapped. Naughty boy.

My next item will be a Centurion studded choker, (I’dwear it instead of a silk cravat) with some serious evening wear. Now I wanna be a dog.

Q. Do you have a favourite The London Leatherman, P&C or Dave Carroll LND artwork you've done? And why?

A. Dave has some great ideas so it makes my design work for him easier to do. I love the Flowers of Romance and the R Tee's. Theyhave backstory and twists in the tale.

I particularly like the DC logo I did, DC (Dave Carroll) didn't pick my favourite of the options I presented him with but I don’t have a beef with that because I’velearnt the hard way, offering designs Idon’t like to clients and they invariably picked them! Iknow it means I’ve done my job well, but its way more satisfying if everyone is happy at the end. Preferably with a co*cktail in hand.

Q. What are you working on for 2023? With your business Millefleur, personally, or with Dave…

A. My wife Pearl was a Design Director for some prestigious Fashionhouses and then she decided she wanted a less high pressure environment and so she went back to her roots, literally, and started her sustainable floristry business, Millefleur. That was in January 2020 and we all know what happened next. As soon as the pandemic hit all my photography work dried up and we got hammered financially. However we all had to make the best of a bad deal as freelance creatives so it meant we could concentrate onbuilding her brand and stylistic identity.With my photography and her wonderful creations shehas built an impressive body of work and made a lot of people happy with it. Then last year I got cancer. It set usstaggering on all fronts. I finally got the all-clear a day before ChristmasEve, woohoo, so to say we had a very Merry Christmas is an understatement. The energy and zest for life I have now is now focused oncompleting the plans and dreams we have at home.Finance is now in place so that I can start building the three unusual dwellings in our field along with a natural swimming lake. They will be filled with work made by friends such as pottery thrown using our own clay etc. giving a showcase ofworkthat is constantly evolving and all forsale.Continuingside projects withDave are in the pipeline so keepwatching this space for some‘f*cking excellent’ stuff.

Fats Shariff has fashion in his blood coming from a family who supplies the manufacturing for Britain’s biggest fashion brands and conglomerates. A real West Londoner who can’t walk ten strides down Portobello Road on a Friday without bumping into someone he knows, Fats is known for his rudeboy meets Texan cowboy style with a piece of The London Leatherman thrown on for good measure. He almost always has a camera around his neck- he takes a great photo.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. Fats! I distinctly remember the first time I met you, you came round to see Dave when we were living on Gun Street, in Spitafields circa 2008, we were having a party, the front door was jammed so you arrived through the window! But, after all these years I don’t actually know how you and Dave came to be friends, do you remember how you met?

A. Oh my god yes the window entrance that was so much fun, hah…what a night! East London was a lot more fun then!!! Well I really met Dave in 1995/96 when I was working for YMC, Fraser Moss introduced us.Dave had a label he’d done in Japan and we were all about developing things for Japan.

Also, I knew of Dave through Portobello Market, but really it was the YMC meeting that brought us fools together : )

*Fraser Moss- Design Director at YMC

Q. You’ve collaborated with Dave on projects in the past, do you have any fond memories of these projects? How would you describe yours and Dave’s collaborative style?

A. Yes, we ended up working on a clothing collection for women in 96 or 97, I believe I still have all the sketches and mood boards we made, all hand drawn, photocopied and stuck on with glue, way before Photoshop or Illustrator etc. We had a lot of fun, that was the key word FUN. We had the same childhood references and were both into the same things. Plus, we knew what the hell we liked and what we wanted to put out there. Damn, what was the name of the collection…Dave came up with it…I remember him insisting on putting these clear PVC pockets on the garments where you would put the brand logo as a card insert…still love that idea…took me a minute to like it though…(remember Dave, hah!)I need to go off and find those boards. If we dropped that now I reckon we would make a killing!

I would say our work style was a lot of laughs and giggles, but we got sh*t done.

Q. You’re known for your style and everyone knows you love clothes, how do you style your The London Leatherman pieces?

A. For me the The London Leatherman bits I have are everyday items, the dome stud bracelets are never off my wrist, the belts the same. Day to day though I wear the leather jeans!!!

With the leather jeans I treat them like my everyday (denim) jeans, I’ll wear them with a T-shirt, hoody or shirt…with a pair of AF1’s or my boots, mostly cowboy boots…I might even throw my Concho belt on with them too. My The London Leather pieces are staples for me, everyday wear.

Q. Do you have any favourite The London Leatherman pieces? And why?

A. The leather jeans, the 1976 style !!! The leather is so incredible and the workman ship….QUALITY…When I put on those jeans, I feel sexy as f*ck and hell they look so good…I can’t go a week without wearing them.

Q. You’ve always got something ‘cool’ you’re working on, with some ‘cool’ artist or label. Are you working on anything at the moment you can talk about?

A. Hah, right now I’m working with some great young streetwear labels in the UK, who are making big waves. I always like to be working with the new, seeing what’s coming up. It’s what keeps me excited and inspired. We have some great talent here which we tend to forget and not nurture enough. That’s always been my thing, help bring people up….show them that the industry’s not full of sharks and that there’s ways of doing it without selling out.

Q. What’s Uncle Fats Chats?

A. Hah…Uncle Fats Chats… So, this is a platform where I’ll be talking about love, life and business and not in that certain order. I’ll pick topics, talk about them and hope to get feedback and engage with people. I’ve had a lot of situations in my life, that have made me realise we all need a pick up, we all need that Good Uncle that gets you back up, makes you feel bigger and better…makes you feel you are not alone and yes it is tough out there. But we can all traverse this terrain together for the better. I want to motivate, empower and inspire people to be their better self. By doing this I also become better, a challenge aired is challenge solved. We have one life, so best live it well. As my friend Dee says, ‘This ain’t not dress rehearsal’

Q. What does 2023 look like for you?

A. 2023 is where I take my power back. I’ll do what I want to do and what brings me joy. That does not mean I will stop working, far from it, just means I will focus on where I can make a difference. Utilize my skills and knowledge to make a better today and tomorrow for me, because if I can do this for me, it will be better for all around me. Bring some control back. I want to work to live, not live to work…we have done enough of the latter already. Time to change the mindset…even at 56 I have still so much to do and accomplish and I will!

Simon Hearn, Radio Presenter, DJ and sometimes maker of rubber fetish clothing, Simon made some rubber tops for the La Rocka79 label, a collaboration with Dave and Lloyd Johnson. Dave was the first guest Simon interviewed in 2019 for his radio show England’s Dreaming on a station that was then called Totally Wired Radio, they talked about the revival of The London Leatherman label and their mutual interest in all things punk rock.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. You’re what some people would call an anorak when it comes to punk rock and post punk music, you’re also a collector of clothes and paraphilia from the era. What’s your take on how The London Leatherman fits into the genre?

A. I’m a record collector, I’ve been into records since my mum used to take me into Woolworths every Saturday morning and buy me something in the top 40. I loved T.Rex, Alice Cooper, The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Mud, and Gary Glitter, I was obsessed with Gary Glitter. I used to put ‘Leader Of The Gang’ on and take all my clothes off and run up and down the front room.

When punk broke it was around the time my mum died and I was upset and angry, punk was the perfect soundtrack for my emotions. I liked all the regular suspects The Pistols, Clash, Stranglers, Damned, Gen X, Buzzco*cks, 999, X-Ray Spex, Sham, the whole sherbang..

I have a thought process that wants and needs to collect a bands complete discography, that includes solo projects and what members do after that band split up. The clothes were as important as the records. To get the look right, you had to work at it, for some it was ok to just be a jeans and Harrington kind of guy, for others DIY lead the way, but you had to get the right gear to hit the mark.

Dave said to me once, when we first went to Seditionaries and bought something you bought something Rotten or Sid wore, you wanted to look like a Sex Pistol and the lesser-known items (at that time) were not as urgent to own.

If you were into how you looked back then, it was Johnsons La Rocka! for a good leather, Robot for the best creepers, Seditionaries for the glamour and The London Leatherman for the studs and belts. That atheistic still stands, it’s a very mod way of thinking, you can generally buy stuff cheaper at other places, but you get what you pay for, you have to decide, do you want to look ‘upmarket’ or from ‘up the market’!

Q. I’ve heard you speak about a time and scene in London in the 80s where a group of bands evolved that implemented the The London Leatherman/ Seditionaries/ punk rock look into their style. What was this scene? Who were these bands? And is this how you met Dave?

A. As the eighties began punk was at a crossroads, the original bands and punks were being pulled into Rockabilly, goth, post-punk and mod. Younger spiky tops like myself were pulled into the fury of UK82 punk and Oi! That version of punk ran out of steam around 1983/84, the various other subcultures like psychobilly (I know Dave was hanging around with King Kurt), goth and mod had had their moments, but by 1985 there was a vacuum to fill (if you didn’t think U2 and The Smiths was where it’s at).

Around this time, out of the ashes of Generation X Tony James formed Sigue Sigue Sputnik with Martin Degville who had a shop (Pure Sex) in the basem*nt of Kensington Market. At the same time Mick Jones has a vision of fusing the sound of Def Jam hip hop with his ‘punk’ guitar sound from The Clash. Back to Gen X, Derwood was putting together Electronic Chuck Berry sounds with Elizabeth Westwood and together these people invented the genre ‘Beatbox Rock ‘N’ Roll’ the clothes were Johnsons leathers, Pure Sex rubberwear and t shirts, Boy ‘eagle’ tops, Triumph belts, old Seditionaries t shirts, George Cox creepers and a The London Leatherman belt (or two). At the same time, out of the ashes of ‘positive punks’ Brigandage, twins Ben and Scott Addison formed Boys Wonder, a glorious mix of The Sweet, Antony Newley, Sex Pistols, The Who and the co*ckney Rejects. Boys Wonder were the first people I’d ever seen wearing Seditionaries clobber teamed with early seventies big collar shirts and kipper ties. Twenty Flight Rockers (another former Generation X member (Mark Laff) along with Gary Twinn turbocharged The Clash with Gene Vincent looking like Ace Cafe pin ups from ‘The Leather Boys’ film 1964, their purposed debut album was going to be called ‘Nine yards of dead Cow’ just to emphasize just how much leather was on stage. Matthew Ashman and Paul Cook's Chiefs of Relief took Big Audio Dynamites template, added a slab of Dave Hill’s guitar and sounded dynamite. Around Soho these bands were totally on the money and were faces, but outside the M25 (apart from BAD and Sputnik), no-one knew who they were. All of these bands did have coverage in the NME and Sounds, but to a bare minimum, the weeklies were too busy getting a hard on over R.E.M, Sonic Youth and The Waterboys. It felt like bands that worked on their look were less worthy than the jeans and cardigan brigade. Other beatbox Rock ‘N’ Rollers were the Pocket Rockets, Lightning Strike, Romeo Streetgang, Scarlet Fantastic, CSM 101 & and Queen B.

Which brings to mind Malcolm’s epitaph ‘Better a spectacular failure, than a benign success’.

Q. How would you describe the Pocket Rockets to someone who knows nothing about them?

A. All great pop is made by blaggers and chancers. The Pocket Rockets rode their luck. Signing to MCA, rocking out on a tour with Big Audio Dynamite and the Chiefs of Relief. They were a more council estate version of BAD, being a bright five minute wonder, one single and then in true punk rock fashion, they split up.

Q. The mystery band CSM101 I know very little about, did you ever see them play? What were they like?

A. I first saw CSM101 support Boys Wonder at The Marquee, first thing I noticed was the bass player had an empire state quiff, their sound was described as ‘Ted Metal’.

Q. You’ve been on the fetish scene for a long time and are a respected DJ at the famous Torture Garden events. Fetish and punk rock go hand in hand, why do you think this is?

A. I think the whole fetish club scene first grew out of the gothic scene in the mid eighties. The soundtrack to the first events I went to was the same as that at the Batcave and the KitKat Club. At that time you could really only get primitive latex vests from Zeitgeist in Soho between Wardour Street and Berwick Street, as you got older and became wore aware of what you could and should get, you started to see how forward thinking Malcolm McLaren had been back in 74/75. Even now at an event it’s generally only around 15% of the male crowd that ‘dress up’ and currently in vogue for men at a fetish night is a leather harness, black underpants and their work shoes. The saying ‘I’m Sparticus’ springs to mind. There’s a major difference to how women and men approach choosing an outfit for a fetish night. Women want to look good and be sexy, they also want other women to appreciate their outfit, their shoes, their make up, the whole package. Most men dress just to get in, but the ones that do dress up are real dandies.

Q. Do you have any favourite The London Leatherman pieces and why?

A. I love the Pistol belt as it’s the one favoured by Steve Jones (always my favourite Sex Pistol). I like wearing it with a pair of electric pink pegs I had made with a pair of George Cox black suede Jodhpur boots. I also really liked the red Rabbit ‘R’ Sid T sh*t Dave made a few years ago.

Q. I’ve seen you and Dave go into deep conversation on many occasions. What are your mutual interests? What is it that you talk about at such lengths!?

A. It’s quite easy to be into punk and like ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ or a ‘tit’s’ T shirt. But, it’s about joining the dots, knowing what it lead to, what it achieved, who came out of it with any credit, the power struggle and debating your view point on who was more important and whose ideas they were i.e Vivienne or Malcolm’s? Everyone generally has an opinion and a ‘side’ when it comes to punk rock history.

Q. Your show England’s Dreaming was a success and your interview style captivating, will you be continuing with the show in some way? Are you working on anything at the moment you can talk about?

A. For most radio, punk is ‘Pretty Vacant,’ ‘I fought the Law.’ ‘New Rose.’ Sid Vicious dies and everybody then likes Joy Division. Not everyone wanted to put on their mums frock and pounce about to Japan. Punk got pulled in different ways, with the Subs, Crass, Exploited it went more council estate, that period does seam to get airbrushed out of the story. Theatre of Hate, Killing Joke and Bow Wow Wow was a more tribal, pre-goth. The Stray Cats, The Meteors, The Cramps, Robert Gordon forged a rockabilly and the psychobilly scene was very important and enjoyable, but didn't really have anywhere to go. When I started ‘England’s Dreaming’ I wanted to play album tracks and people like Twenty Flight Rockers and Boys Wonder.

Q. As an avid collector of records, do you have any favourites?

A. Here are my top 10 albums of all time

1 . Sex Pistols – Never mind the bollocks here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)

2 . The Clash – London Calling (1979)

3 . Siouxsie and the Banshees – Juju (1981)

4 . Roxy Music – Country Life (1974)

5 . Pulp – Different Class (1995)

6 . The Cramps – Songs the lord taught Us (1980)

7 . The B-52’s – The B-52’s (1979)

8 . The Who – Quadrophina (1973)

9 . co*ckney Rejects – Greatest Hits Volume 1 (1980)

10 . Depeche Mode – Music for the Masses (1987)

Smeg, he’s the lead singer of the psychobilly band King Kurt, has big hair and a big grin and we’d describe Smegs style as Lee Marvin meets Gene Vincent, Smeg knows his kit. Smeg and Dave have been friends since the early 80s, the first time they met Smeg was wearing a McLaren Westwood ‘F*** Your Mother’ Seditionaries T-shirt.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. Leather and rock’n’roll, they go hand in hand, do you have any leather wearing rock’n’ rollers you consider a style icon? And why?

A. As you’ve already mentioned, Gene Vincent is surely the best leather clad icon, he had it all, style, the voice, the moves. But, also The Sex Pistols influenced me greatly in my teens and I always wanted the same leather strides, I bought a pair at age 60! Too old? Never for leather.

Q. You were a punk rocker before becoming one of the pioneers of the Psychobilly genre in the early 80s. How would you articulate the transition from Punk Rock to Psychobilly?

A. The Cramps, The Cramps were the transition. For me at the time I was into Rock’a’Billy and into Punk Rock, I was wearing Seditionaries bondage trousers but with 1950s jackets and a bright red flat top (hair style). And the Cramps, they summed up everything in their song Garbage Man ‘One half hillbilly and one half punk’ this made perfect sense to me, this was Psychobilly.

Q. In 2010 you invited Dave and I down to a King Kurt gig in Islington, my first time experiencing King Kurt. Pre-show people kept rolling their eyes at me, saying ‘ooh, you shouldn’t have worn that/ those shoes are going to get ruined/ do you not know what goes on at a King Kurt show’! For anyone that doesn’t know who King Kurt are, how do you describe the band to them?

A. You should’ve seen the mess in the 80s, we were banned from everywhere! Our music is good time Rhythm & Blues/ Rock’n’Roll/ Country/ Punk with its feet in the dirt (literally, in those days). We f***ed ourselves in the a*se though with the ‘highbrow’ music press for not having a political agenda. Our aim was and still is to have a good night out.

Q. Many people know King Kurt for your performance of ‘Destination Zulu Land’ on the British television show Top Of The Pops in 1983. How was this experience for you?

A. TOTP was a dream come true, it was the biggest music show for everyone of my generation. We were there from 8am doing what we did best, getting wasted! We hung out with UB40 for a bit (I still had one!) and I managed to upset one of the presenters -DLT a very rude, humorless twat. Like most ‘funny’ people he didn’t like being on the receiving end of a joke. We signed our contract with Stiff Records that day in the studio, then hopped on a train to Leeds for a gig. A good day out.

Q. Yours and Dave’s friendship covers many mutual interests from clothing to motorcycles, bully breed dogs to music. Do you remember the earlier years of how you met? Any fond memories?

A. Some memories are best left in the haze of history! But I can say we’ve done some crazy sh*t together over the years!

Q. There’s a legendary story I’ve heard of you going into Seditionaries and Jordan dressing you. How did this come about?

A. I was 16 and just got my first pay cheque, so went to Seditionaries to spend it. Jordan (Mooney aka Pamela Rooke) and I used to have a mutual friend who would pass messages to her from me and on this occasion Vivienne (Westwood) and Jordan were in the shop, they got me dressed in a full outfit and I stood in front of the mirror and declared ‘you’d f*** me!’ whilst fake masturbating. They were in stitches (laughing) and people were being brought in off the street to witness the spectacle! Vivienne gave me a parachute shirt, I was over the moon. Years later, I lent it to someone and never saw it again. But, I used to save up and buy loads of the stuff and had quite a bit in the end, sadly all was lost in a house fire during the 1984 Riots in Brixton.

Q. A couple of years back you self-styled a The London Leatherman look fused with the legendary tailoring of Sir Tom Baker. How would you describe this look?

A. I’ve paired my The London Leatherman 1976 Leather Jeans with Tom’s Sequined Tux Jacket, a frock coat he made for me and what is called The Gutter To Gala Suit which is a kind of punk rock/ The Sex Pistols/ Johnny Rotten inspired thing.

Tom loves punk rock too.

Q. Do you have any favourite The London Leatherman pieces?

A. I love my leather jeans. But, the LV4 Jeans Style Jacket is one of my faves, I love my Pistols Belt too, the leather jeans are never worn without it!

Q. Are you working on any projects for 2023 you can disclose/ talk about?

A. I’ve got a new suit on the bubble with Tom and with the band we’re rehearsing regularly with a view of producing something new. Shows start in mid-May in Lewes and there’s a London show on June 23rd at The Underworld in Camden.

Paul ‘Spiv’ Smith, is as his name suggests, a wheeler and dealer with a knack for sourcing rare punk rock and post punk clothing and paraphernalia, we have a couple of items in the The London Leatherman archive sourced by Paul. Paul and Dave are bonded by the London nightclubs they both went to in the 80s and the designers they wore during that era.

Questions by Bridget Veal Carroll

Q. You and Dave went to a lot of the same nightclubs and venues on the 80s and wore a lot of the same designers. What clubs? What designers? Do you remember each other/ have any fond memories of this time?

A. In the late 70’s early 80’s I frequented many of the “in” shops: Seditionaries, Johnson’s La Rocka!, Beaufort Market, The Great Gear Market, Kensington Market, Boy, The Last Resort and Worlds End to name a few.

I became friends with Dave (and Bridget) on a chance meeting at the Groucho club around 10 years ago now. We realised that we had attended the same shops, gigs, clubs in the past without actually ever meeting.

Clubs included The Mud Club, The Dirt Box, The Wag …... In the 80’s, the list of clubs was as long as your arm.

We also realised we were interested is the same music, clothes and “Punk Rock” fashion or anti fashion depending how you view it….…(and of course the vintage toys). Our friendship grew from then on.

Q. The items you come across in your work are impressive. How would you describe what you do and the genre of material you collect/deal-in?

A. The best way to describe it is that I pick up pieces and items on my travels and find them a new home.

As a kid, I was a “swapper” of my toys: Action Men, Major Matt Mason, skateboards, gum cards etc and loved all U.S. Toys. As a 60’s child, all the toys that passed through my hands, TV, Film and Sci Fi related items seem to have become very desirable. I rarely threw stuff away including my Punk Rock clothes, which in later years have become highly collectible.

Q. The London Leatherman archive of clothing and accessories is vast. However, sourcing items from the old catalogues or items worn by people of significance are key for many collectors. What tips do you have for collectors or those looking to start collecting vintage The London Leatherman?

For me, in recent years I’ve just happened to come across pieces. But, in the 70s a friend had a The London Leatherman 3 row pyramid studded wrist band which he bought from Seditionaries. I hounded and pestered him for it and I eventually swapped it for my copy of Anarchy in the UK on EMI. (Not sure what that’s worth today). I then managed to get the matching belt from him. I later bought a leather cap from Frisco Leathers in the Great Gear Market (it was less of a walk down the Kings Road.) I’m not sure if Ken supplied them as well.

In those days I was totally unaware just how relevant The London Leatherman was to the scene. Looking back now I have come to realise the importance of The London Leatherman. Retrospectively is seems that anybody who was anybody wore “The Kit” at some point.

Q. You’ve had quite a lot of vintage The London Leatherman pieces over the years, do any of these pieces stick out for you? And why?

A. Over the years I’ve acquired various vintage items for the Pride & Clarke and The London Leatherman archives and am always on the hunt for absolutely anything that catches my eye.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

The Horror Show posters are on the streets of London featuring the LW19 Soft Lip Head Mask in black leather

Posters designed by the Grammy Award winning creative studio Barnbrook.

Our superior Belt Loop Key Rings are back in black leather, red leather and chrome look (silver) leather.

In the 1970s The London Leatherman offered a belt loop with D-ring to slide onto your belt like the one’s we offer as complimentary when you buy a belt from Shop — The London Leatherman today. In 2019 we released this more functional version of the Belt Loop Key Ring accessory with snap popper fastening so that you can add and release your keys from your belt with ease, and for 2023 like the originals we’ve studded them.

Adam Ant wore his onstage. Malcolm McLaren & Vivienne Westwood put a picture of it on a T-Shirt. Sylvain Sylvain (New York Dolls) owned one in silver leather.

The leather Head Mask is a garment that featured consistently in The London Leatherman ‘Exotica’ mail order catalogues from 1971 through to the 1990s, available predominately in black leather it was also offered in silver and in red leather too.

A true underground fetish item that clients would order from Ken (Heddle Magson) discretely, until, like many The London Leatherman designed items it made its way into the public eye, taking on a life of it’s own in the mid-1970s, a life that included being worn on stage by Adam Ant for his first gig at the ICA in May 1977 in London and being featured on T-shirts designed by Malcolm McLaren & Vivienne Westwood that are today held in the V&A and The Met Museum collections (scroll to bottom of page for pictures).

Here we wanted to address the legend that follows The London Leatherman mask, the association to the boutique SEX, the influence it had on Malcolm McLaren & Vivienne Westwood and Alan Selby (who later founded Mr. S Leather) and the implications that a The London Leatherman mask was worn by the convicted criminal named by the press as the Cambridge rapist. We feel the best way to do this is to share with you the article that featured in the Sunday Mirror in 1975. See the scan and relevant text below:

Page 4. Sunday Mirror, May 11, 1975

By George Martin, Terry Willows and Chris Hampson.

The trail of the Cambridge rapist led last week to the world of London’s ‘kinky gear’ shops.

There on Friday, Sunday Mirror reporters bought two black leather hoods from separate shops. Identical to the one worn by the rapist. Not many of these masks have been sold in Britain and police believe that the Cambridge maniac bought his mask from one of the same sources.

The man who makes the sinister hoods is 37 year old Heddle Magson. He runs a shop called The London Leatherman in Queenstown Road, Battersea.

He supplies them to two shops in Chelsea, as well as running an export and mail order business. Mr. Magson estimates that he has sold about 100 since Christmas.

The hoods cost £10.25 each- with or without a zip across the mouth- complete with detachable Lone Ranger type eye masks. These hoods cover the head, with eye slits, a shaped nose space, mouth slit and laces up the back. Mr. Magson, tall and slim with a ring in his left ear, said: “I’ve already had the police here. I gave them two names. I went through the records for them. I didn’t let them go through my files. I have a kind of doctor relationship with my clients. I treat my business with confidentiality.” One of our hoods was brought from Magson’s shop and with it he gave us two brochures.

One- Exotica- consists of bizarre leatherwear.

Mr. Magson said “The names I gave to police were of clients in the Cambridge area.”

Does Mr. Magson not worry that he may unwittingly be selling such equipment to mentally unbalanced people such as the rapist?

He replied: “How does one make that judgement?”

‘Normal guy’

“He doesn’t have two heads and five legs. In genuine circ*mstances he could be an absolutely normal guy.”

One of the other shops selling the hood, in Kings Road, Chelsea, simply has the word “SEX” in 3ft.- high mauve letters above the door.

The manager, Mr. Michael Collins, said: “I have sold a dozen hoods in eight months. I can’t remember much about most of the people. But there was one chap who bought one a couple of months ago. He was short and dressed in a black leather jacket, dark trousers and black boots. He was carrying a motor-cyclist’s crash helmet. Last week he came in again and bought a rubber hood with no eye slits and only a rubber tube to breathe through the mouth.”

Half a mile away at another shop in New Kings Road, Mr. Alan Selby said: “I know most of my customers personally. One is a millionaire and managing director of one of the best know firms in the land. I’ve met his wife too. They use my gear for their private sex. I have never, as far as I know, sold a mask to someone from the Cambridge area.” ….. (end text).

Today we produce both the LW11 (zip mouth) and the LW19 (soft lip) Head Masks hand made to the same specifications as the mask offered in 1975 with upgraded detailing for 2023.

The Head Masks are available to order via WWW.THELONDONLEATHERMAN.COM

The LW19 Leather Head Mask has definitely been having its moment in the fashion press this year and in being on display in a highbrow exhibition, The Horror Show at Somerset House in London.

Here it is printed in black on sourced white long sleeve T-shirt and in chrome (silver) on black long sleeve T-shirt. Screen printed in North London.