I’m scratching my head wondering how on earth we’ve managed not to post anything at all these years about Liberator (UK link here)! The firm, which is located in the US south has a very nice and varied latex product range, which is designed by Atlanta fetish regular Melissa, who has her own bespoke line called Vesperi as well.

Liberator has a full blown factory which produces latex finery in large runs, which means that their prices are generally lower than what other smaller firms can charge. The patterns are cut by machine and then produced by a team of craftsmen and women, which you can see in this rather nice video, From Pattern to Package.

What I like about the Liberator line is the sheer amount of detail which seems to be present in every piece. The Pirate’s Booty costume is not something you’re likely to see mass produced by other firms, simply because of all the work that’s obviously gone into it, and the price, $370 for the whole set, is not something you’re going to see very often at other houses, either. All in all, it’s very impressive!

I’m also enjoying the work I’ve seen coming out of Black Likorish Latex, a newish range out of California, produced by a young fashion design graduate. Right now it seems their main web presence is on MySpace and in some of the Live Journal forums, and through word of mouth from some of the most recognizable fetish model names like Darenzia, Ulorin Vex, Angela Ryan and Masumi Max. It’s easy to see what attracts these women to Black Likorish–there are cowl neck gowns, ruched halter cocktail dresses, neck corsets and more!

Here’s an image I snagged from their MySpace profile of Masumi Max (welcome back, Masumi!) in a sheer cowl neck creation. I am really looking forward to seeing more from this range!

And finally, you may remember 3XL’s much earlier post about Darkside Creations, a Canadian latex designer’s range of custom pieces and quirky accessories. We recently revisited the site and decided that their new latex driving gloves and catwoman gloves with attached fingernails are well worth checking out. There also seems to be a lot of inflatables added since our post of a couple years back, so drop in to the shop while in Canada, or take a look online!

Hope we’ve inspired you to browse a little, or maybe even revamp your latex wardrobe. Until next time!

The LatexWikiVaganza has now been running for three weeks and it is time for an update. The LatexWiki’s article database has grown by 10% and more and more people are taking part in the competition.

This week, Flufftastico won a 100 euro gift card from Kinky King Latex for his article about latex clothing, and in the previous week Observer won a year’s VIP membership at RubberPal for his article on the Montreal Fetish Weekend. Congratulations!

We try to develop the competition as we go along. Lately we’ve opened it the competition to e-mail submissions, for those who want to take part in the LatexWikiVaganza, but don’t know how to write in Wiki. We also made a new entrance page which shows quick links, the latest additions and a featured article, and we’ve acquired a new sponsor: Public Fetish Girls.

This week’s assignment is to help us make a list of the latex websites out there. No former knowledge is necessary. For more details, visit the LatexWikiVaganza page now.

Latex makes it annual appearance on the high fashion catwalks, as this interview with Balenciniaga’s head designer will attest.

I’ve always thought that in order for latex to make it to the couture crowd that it would need to be lined with a luxury fabric, which is what Nicolas Ghesquiere has done to make his high-end separates more coveted by his deep-pocketed fans.

Visit Vogue.co.uk for the whole story, including photos from the latest collection.

Update! RubberRon is a very nice guy from The Netherlands, and posts almost daily at |R|ubberist.net with more latex in the mainstream finds. Here’s something he just found on Nicolas Ghesquiere and his new collection. Read it here!

Of course, I’ll have to agree to disagree with the Independent writer’s edict that no one over 25 should wear latex, but it’s interesting to see how much coverage his latex creations are receiving!

I just stumbled across my talented buddy Ms Von Livid’s press release while wasting time at Live Journal, and thought it might interest models and wannabes. Check it out:

“We’ll be holding a contest beginning November 15th to look for the newest face to show off our goods. The contest is open to all and everyone. You needn’t be a Fetishista to enter – just a Fashionista! MODELS, PERFORMERS, MUSICIANS, BLOGGERS, STYLISTS, ETC. – All are welcome to sign up.

Just leave a comment on our Myspace page to enter with the line ‘I’M BIASED!’ and a link to your site/myspace/etc and we’ll send you a message with the details to confirm your entry. The spokesmodel would receive $2K in House Of Bias goods per season for a year as well as an exclusive shoot with our photographer Jeffrey David Cohn. This means the winner would receive $4-$6K in our rubber couture during their time as a spokesperson for HOB.

Just remember you must sign up by November 15th! November 15th the polls will be open until
December 1st, 2008. The top three contestants in poll turnout will then go to jury vote and portfolio evaluation with each section being worth three possible points. Results will be announced December 5th!”

Pretty neat, huh? I can’t wait to see who wins, and observe the competition.

For those of you who haven’t yet visited House of Bias, sign up now for their newsletter so you’ll be among the first to see their upcoming new collections, including menswear.

There are some really exciting things happening with our favorite fetishy material of late. Here’s a quick round-up of things that caught 3XL’s and my attention this week:

Let’s start with some very welcome news for rubberists of larger dimensions. We received a press release for Honour Latex introducing their new range called Real Women, Real Sexy, which features some of their most popular pvc, leather and latex creations in plus sizes (up to UK size 26/Euro 50 for some styles!).

I checked out the catalog photos and I really enjoyed the photos of pretty plus sized women who seemed confident of their beauty and sexiness. Let’s hope that Honour gains lots of good customers, and in time influences other latex manufacturers to invest in giving a little thought and effort to making well fitting and flattering off the rack styles for larger women. (more…)