Atsuko agrees: “It doesn’t really matter about whether you are fashion or fetish — you can be both, either or neither. It’s just about enjoying what you want to do. It’s good to think about who you are and what you like and your sexuality.”
“What makes Atsuko’s designs so special,” Simon continues, “is that they are elegant and sophisticated enough to stand up completely as a collection in a fashion/runway situation alongside any other noted designer.
“And yet because she only works in latex, the designs are obviously all about that fabric.
“There is also a huge emotional thread which runs through the designs — this is very personal and is what makes her work so individual. It comes from the heart and that is what makes the work so totally unique.”
‘Atsuko’s designs are elegant and sophisticated enough to stand up completely as a collection in a fashion situation alongside any other noted designer’ – Simon
But it’s not just about design, Atsuko explains. “I’m lucky that Simon has got a musical and theatrical background to give a dramatic presentation to AK shows and projects. Because he understands me, the designs and the projects so well, it works very well when we work on these things together. It creates a special feeling.”
What, though, about that small but often vocal fetish contingent who, rather than celebrating any fetish brand that successfully infiltrates mainstream fashion, tend to regard involvement in high fashion/celebrity outfitting as selling out, abandoning one’s roots and/or original customers, or just providing an excuse to inflate prices above what most ordinary pervs can afford?
“At Atsuko Kudo the ethos is simple,” says Simon. “We just try to make the best clothes we can for every person and every occasion.
“It’s the same approach if it’s for a celebrity or for someone who is going to wear the pieces in private or to a fetish club or for any other reason. There’s no difference in the quality, care and attention on each and every piece.
“For sure we are aware that some of Atsuko’s designs may only be for a certain budget. But we still sell plenty of plain black G-strings and stockings and other more standard fetish wardrobe staples.
“We price everything largely according to how long it takes to make — all AK products are still made by hand here in London. We all know how expensive it is to live and work in this city and we try to pay our staff as well as we can while keeping prices as competitive as possible.
“So if you come to Atsuko Kudo for a classic fetish item, though you may find cheaper alternatives in other places, we guarantee that our products are designed and produced at the highest possible level.
“In any market there is a choice — we try to offer the highest quality choice because we feel many people want that option, and that’s the option we would want too.”
“We were very proud to win the Special European Fetish Award in 2012 for ‘opening doors for the rest of the latex industry’,” Atsuko adds. “That was great recognition from people within the latex community. But for us we simply want to make the best clothes we can for each and every person whoever they are.”
While it boasts many celebrity customers, the label is best known for dressing Lady Gaga, and most memorably for providing the red latex gown she wore to meet the Queen.
But many people still wonder if Gaga really has a latex kink or if it’s all just for show. Thankfully Atsuko is happy to put the record straight on that account:
“Gaga is a genuine latex fan — that was clear from the
“We have been in situations with her away from the public eye and she stills wears latex then and seems to enjoy it just as much as any other fetishista. We’ve been very fortunate to work with her during this time as it’s a relationship that has produced many highs.”
Simon takes up the thread: “The Red Queen outfit is probably the most iconic. Even the Queen had the picture of that moment in her exhibition at Windsor Castle for her Diamond Jubilee.
“The exhibition had only one photo per year of her reign, and 2009 was the shot of the Queen with Gaga in that dress. All the other pictures were of the Queen with prime ministers, the Red Arrows flying overhead, or horses!
“Could any of us back in the day have imagined the Queen would include a picture of herself with someone wearing a latex dress as a celebration of 60 years on the throne? We can only see that as a positive thing.”
Atsuko chips in: “I would still like the Queen to actually wear latex. So we’re working on that!”
But though Kudo is the designer of choice when pop royalty meets actual royalty, she reckons she has no problem reconciling the world of celebrity outfitting with the needs of the ‘ordinary’ customer — because, she asserts, no AK customer is ever treated as ‘ordinary’.
“All customers are the same to us because they are coming to us to wear latex for special moments in their life. This means you must have total respect for that, as that is a special journey and each person should receive the best possible service and clothing you can deliver.
“There is no such thing as an ordinary latex customer because all people who wish to wear latex are extraordinary.”
“From the beginning AK has always made clothes for those who wish to look and feel beautiful, feminine and strong,” says Simon. “It’s not a fashion choice — it’s about who you are and what you want. These are very fundamental choices for anyone.
“They are particularly important choices for women who have the freedom to express their sexuality and want to do so. Many women around the world don’t have that freedom.
“In many ways expressing the power of femininity through dressing for pleasure is one of the most powerful things a woman can do. You could almost say it is a political choice. It’s certainly empowering for many women who dress in Atsuko Kudo.”
‘Gaga is a genuine latex fan – that was clear from the first time we met her. She just loves it, and that must be obvious from the images of her over the years’ – Atsuko
“This is why we were very happy when the Seven Bar Foundation first asked us to show at the Lingerie Show in New York, and then later here in London.
“Because it’s a cause which especially focuses on raising funds for disadvantaged women to set up their own businesses. And everyone in the fetish world knows how sexy it is to have powerful women!”
Kudo has a deserved reputation as an innovator, but how closely does she keep an eye on what other designers are doing in the mainstream or in latex fashion, and does she admit to sometimes ‘channelling a trend’ herself?
“We are aware of trends in both latex and fashion generally,” she replies, “but we always try to just go with our hearts about the direction we are heading.
“Of course there are now many more new designers entering into latex work.
This is very healthy and keeps everything very fresh, and as with everything there will be good and there will be others who may be not so good.
READ MORECLICK ON PREVIEW IMAGES BELOW TO VIEW ATSUKO KUDO ‘TIMELINE’ AND ‘PUNK’ GALLERIES
Tags: Clothing, Designers, Fashion Shows, Latex
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