“Because when I do that a lot, keep on top of it, I have less pain and my legs are stronger and I feel more attractive in myself because I just feel a bit more toned.
“If I mix that up with work, then I feel like I’ve accomplished something. But I do have a problem of comparing myself with other people — feeling that I’ve not worked as much as them, and therefore that makes me somehow not as much of a person. Which is ridiculous.”
What is definitely not ridiculous is that, having decided to apply her fashion training to the making of latex clothing under her own brand, Catriona turned her perceived disadvantage of “not being able to be out and about on the scene” into a unique business model.
Instead of trying to compete with higher profile designers all trying to sell their clothes to the latex-loving public, she focused instead on hiring out clothes to people who wanted to wear latex but didn’t have ready access to it.
It began, she says, after she’d spent money on making outfits for models to shoot in or wear for shows.
“And I would think, ‘well that’s that used, what am I going to do with it now?’ I’m not giving it to them ’cos that’s my hard-earned money.”
‘There’s girls and boys – but a lot of girls – who want to play the part of a model and have lots of pictures. There’s also lots of groups like agencies popping up’
Because of her body shape, she didn’t have the option of adding such pieces to her own latex wardrobe. “All of my [personal] patterns are specially made to fit me — they won’t fit anybody else.”
So people were asking to borrow stuff from her, but she needed to make money from it to at least cover her costs. Cue light-bulb moment.
“I thought, well there isn’t really anybody else who hires stuff out.
“And there’s people — there’s girls and boys, but a lot of girls — who want to play the part of a model and have lots of pictures. There’s also lots of groups like modelling agencies popping up.
“It just goes to show that latex is an interest to a lot of people and they want to wear it but they can’t afford to own it. So I’ll hire it out to them.”
However, the Catriona Stewart rental concept is more than just a latex version of the familiar high street costume-hire business model.
She quickly realised she could stimulate demand by hosting her own studio photography days — for which she doesn’t just provide all the outfits.
“I book the studio and I hire MUAs to do the make-up and the hair. Then the models and photographers pay to come along and that covers the hiring of my stuff, the studio, the make-up… and I’ll put on a lunch as well.
Currently, she hosts these studio days at Bodyline Studio in Long Eaton (midway between Derby and Nottingham) and at Morrigan Hel’s Murder Mile Studios in north east London.
As far as she knows, the service she offers is still unique. “Someone did try to copy me once but they didn’t realise how much work was involved,” she laughs.
Of course there are plenty of latex designers who loan out clothes for editorial shoots in the expectation of getting publicity and some usable pictures, rather than hire fees, from the arrangement.
And some of them have had bad experiences with loan items being damaged or not returned. So how does Catriona’s business model deal with such situations?
‘I charge a security deposit, and if they break anything they don’t get it back. I’ve been lucky. There’s only been two instances where I’ve had to take money’
“I charge people a security deposit, and if they break anything they don’t get it back,” she says firmly. “I’ve been lucky. There’s only been two instances where I’ve had to take money.”
She confides that one of the better-known models attending the same event we’re both at is renowned for not returning loaned latex. And, she adds, there are also models who not only take designer’s stuff that doesn’t belong to them, but sell it on afterwards.
“What the hell?” she exclaims. “You can’t be selling my stuff! Have a bit of respect!”
Catriona adds that she’s glad she made the effort to come to Dominatrix to do a show, even though some ideas she wanted to include are not going to make it onto the Dutch catwalk.
“I wanted to put a pair of inflatable boobs on a catsuit, I wanted to do a biker jacket and then sort out a corset. But I’ve got no time and I’m not stressing myself out any more.”
Her participation in the Dominatrix show is, however, confirmation that she is set on developing beyond the original rental business model.
I ask what she considers to be her signature style.
“I like an appliqué style, a contour style that gives the impression of a more hourglass figure,” she replies. “That’s quite a striking pattern. I use it on leotards… a lot of things really.
“I’ve got a beautiful dress in trans pink — a strapless one with an underwired bra. It’s on Zara DuRose in the show. I’m really excited to see her in that.”
Some months further down the line, I catch up with Catriona via e-mail to see how her plans for raising her profile in 2015 have been going, and what value she got from the Dominatrix show that kicked it all off.
One of her best decisions, apparently, was to take extra garments to the event to lend to models for shoots.
“This was beneficial because it allowed me to meet more models and photographers and start new working relationships and networking possibilities, which I enjoy as you never know where they can lead.”
Given that she had only ten days to design, pattern-cut and make around ten outfits for Dominatrix, it was lucky, she says, that she had an intern who helped during this time.
“Otherwise I wouldn’t have got everything finished. I was very happy with the outcome of the garments though as they weren’t simple pieces and I had to design the collection from scratch, including researching trends.
“It’s surprising what you can achieve when you have no choice!”
She adds that she’s returning to Dominatrix for the November event and putting on a side show with Zara DuRose on the weekend’s new BDSM stage.
“I also enjoy performing,” she explains. “I did a stage show in London with another model called Bex Fisher under the name Dominion of Kink at Psycho Ward in June, and I’m excited about doing something new with Zara.”
At the bottom of this page, there’s more about Catriona’s work as a disabled model, as well as a gallery featuring some of her modelling work.
She met Zara on her first visit to Manchester’s Club Lash in January 2015. This was the first event Catriona attended after deciding at the end of 2014 that she should get out more, having “closed the book on a personal issue which left me with more time and finances to develop my work”.
‘I was lucky to have Harry Amelia wear my latex in Big Brother 2015, and this has helped get my brand out to more people, and not necessarily my usual audience’
Through the model, she says she’s been introduced to new events including Dominatrix. She also credits Yummy Gummy designer Rebecca Allsop with introducing her to other events.
“I was also lucky enough to have Harry Amelia wear my latex in Big Brother 2015 in May, and this has helped get my brand out to more people, and not necessarily the same audience I usually aim my clothing at.”
She says the higher media profile she got from participating in Dominatrix has won her attention from other events, registering her brand with them as a serious business with good quality clothing and helping create opportunities that probably wouldn’t have been available to her before.
Other events Catriona has notched up this year include The Great British Tattoo Show (doing a catwalk show) and German Fetish Ball (researching it for future participation), both also in May.
She attended Zara DuRose’s fetish parties at Murder Mile in April and June.
In August she provided a catwalk show and hosted a retail stand at Manchester’s Sexhibition, followed by an appearance at Jon Blue‘s secret mansion party.
Last month she ran a stand at the London Edge alternative trade show and attended the UKAP Awards for the sex industry in September.
On top of these engagements, there have been a number of private photo shoots and studio day events throughout the year. So she certainly has been putting herself about more.
“I still feel I could be at more things,” she says, “but I literally don’t have the time to arrange things as well as get orders out at the moment.”
Happily, that situation has already improved. Catriona Stewart’s last e-mail update to me, just days before publication of this article, announces simply:
“I now have a part-time employee assistant and it is wonderful!”
Catriona’s last update to me, just days before publication of this article, announces simply: ‘I now have a part-time employee assistant and it is wonderful!’
A while ago you also decided to start marketing yourself as a disabled model. What prompted that decision and how has it gone so far? Are there any particular issues around it that you’d like to flag up?
“This was something I first took part in around three years ago and I can’t remember how it started, but I did a few shoots and then had a negative experience during a catwalk which just put me off, and I stopped.
“At the time, I did some shoots with a photographer called Rei Bennett [see this article’s modelling gallery] which included solo shoots and group shoots with other disabled people.
“I also met [London fetish party legend] Mik Scarlet who is a wheelchair user and writes articles and does interviews on various subjects including disability topics.
“Rei moved to Australia and continues with her photography work, and I am still in contact with Mik and his partner, which is really nice.
“I dabbled in it again last year a couple of times and then did more with it this year. I enjoy it for the dressing up and having an excuse to make more latex clothing specifically for myself.
“I have to make things to my own patterns due to the muscle wastage in my right leg from the car hit and my shortened torso from having scoliosis as a teenager.
“But I also like that I display myself as a strong disabled woman who can work hard and have a personal identity which includes my disability.
“It’s not like I can hide it or pretend it’s not there and I have had people contact me to say my pictures have given them confidence to present themselves as a disabled person and not feel unhappy or fade into the background.
“This is probably the best part of the modelling experience.
“Modelling isn’t as important to me as my latex clothing business, as I don’t get as much satisfaction out of it as I do when I make clothing or doing other aspects of the business.
“It is still enjoyable and it’s nice to explore what I can do with my body during shoots and push myself to be better than the last time.
“I also enjoy the social side to the shoots as I tend to work alone a lot of the time in my work room.”
Catriona Stewart Clothing
Catriona Stewart Facebook
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Alex Perez
Black Sheep Group
Bob Richards
Claire Seville
Daniel Mace
Emily Humphries
Grace Elkin
Lincs Alternative Imaging
Lovepunk
Magic Owen
Mateusz Bylica
Mew-Chiel
Monia Photo
My Boudoir
Philip J Vernon
Pocket Circus
Proteus Photography
Rei Bennett
Sean 121
Simon Morris
Simon Shaw
Steve Musgrove
Tony Mitchell
Toxic Imaging
Tags: Clothing, Designers, Fashion Shows, Fetish Fairs, Fetish Weekends, Latex, Models