AND THE WINNER IS: Dani with her Miss Fetish Europe trophy at the Dominatrix 2016 Weekend
A lot of smarter fetish models realised quite some time ago that while working with photographers or doing catwalk for a designer were not necessarily sources of cash, becoming a performer with a live act actually could be.
This has worked well for Dani, who has been a solo fire artist for some years and recently became part of all-girl fire performance troupe Pyrohex.
“It fits in well with my lifestyle and modelling,” she explains. “I often perform at my favourite events and at festivals I would have attended anyway!
“My solo shows tend to have a bit more of a fetish twist, and I often wear latex and get creative with the themes.”
She also recently started working for webcam site Cam4, doing live shows and interacting with her fans — though only within well-defined limits.
“My show generally consists of modelling different outfits and answering questions, chatting, flirting and having a laugh. Even girls tune in!
‘Perhaps the style of other girls’ Cam4 shows are a bit misleading but I’ve always been clear about this. It’s actually a lot of fun and I’ve been overwhelmed by the response’
“Perhaps the style of other girls’ shows on that site are a bit misleading, but I’ve always been very clear about this. It’s actually a lot of fun and I was overwhelmed by the response to my first one.
“I got dozens of messages afterwards from people asking about the next show. So I’m looking forward to doing more of those!”
Another Dani Divine talent I’ve noticed is her ability to develop strong personal relationships with designers. Magdalena Chapman of Pandora Deluxe and Iris Trika, the designer behind both House of Harlot and Iris Thespider, are just two of the label owners effusive in their praises for the model.
Given that many aspiring fetish models don’t seem to have much of a clue about how to develop relationships with designers, are there any secrets Dani could share about how it happened for her?
“It wasn’t planned in any way,” she says. “After working together so much and attending the same events, those relationships grew into friendships.
“We have common interests and tastes, we support each other, and we enjoy the same social scene so it was only natural! Iris and I are pretty much inseparable these days.”
The importance of Dani’s relationship with Iris has been duly reflected in the banner/cover image for this article, and the content of its photo galleries, the first of which is devoted entirely to latex from House of Harlot and Iris Thespider.
Meanwhile our second gallery, devoted to other latex labels, features some of Dani’s numerous collaborations with Pandora Deluxe and Inner Sanctum as well as a variety of other well-known and lesser-known brands.
One up-and-coming latex label featured in our second gallery — and currently getting the model very excited — is Dark Virtue Designs.
“I recently shot some amazing latex by Dark Virtue and I’m anxious to see the results!
“The brains behind the brand is Maja Stina, a multi-talented designer/photographer/model/performer and latex designer all in one!”
But, adds Dani, there are still plenty of talented latex designers out there she has not yet worked with. “Please make yourselves known!” she asks.
If the relationships Dani has established with designers are important, then those she has with photographers are no less so.
Asked to namecheck some favourite ’togs from shoots in 2016, she mentions Dollhouse Photography, Luci Alice, Bommi, Josefien Hoekstra, Tim Williams, Bilacous, Bruce Jenkins, Frankinsella, Flaunt Fotography, Anouk Dyonne and My Boudoir — all of whom have pictures in this article’s galleries.
Some of the photographers in that list are familiar faces at the major European fetish events (Dominatrix, German Fetish Ball etc), so one might guess that these shoots were facilitated by Dani’s attendance at those events.
How much is this happy coincidence and how much careful planning?
“I have compiled a list for potential shoots so that when the opportunity arises, we can make it happen! Sometimes one booking can turn into a complete tour. Networking is key!”
I ask Dani if there’s one work trip outside the UK that particular stands out for her, and I guess her answer is not really that surprising.
“A really great work trip: that’s easy, but there are many to choose from!” she says. “So I will go with the most recent, being my trip to NL for Dominatrix weekend in December.
“I enjoy merging business with pleasure. Not only did I have excellent company on the trip from London in the form of handsome blonde bloke Simon and my super talented girlfriend Iris (HOH/Iris Thespider) but I had plenty of lovely people to see on the other side.
“It’s always so welcoming, from the minute our lovely chauffeur Tido greets us at the airport and takes us to the exquisite Dominatrix weekend hotel.
“We flew in on Friday pretty much straight to the Dinner and Awards ceremony at the party venue, and as you already know, that was a huge success factor. I wore a long latex gown by HOH.
“It was a very glamorous evening throughout, with great food and entertainment. I was thrilled when my name was announced at the award ceremony. And I had a lot of fun celebrating and socialising afterwards at the meet and greet.
“I didn’t let the fact that I had rehearsals the next day stop me! Before I knew it, there we all were, back in the same venue the next day, except this time not feeling (or looking) particularly glamorous.
“But we soldiered on! I even managed to squeeze in a shoot in the hotel before it was time to get ready for Saturday’s main event. I catwalked for HOH and Iris Thespider, and both of my outfits were totally stunning.
“I kept my HOH outfit on for the remainder of the night, which after the shows, started with a drink or two, and of course continued all the way to the hotel.
“Max Kuhl (Inner Sanctum) tends to have a way of luring many beautiful models back to his afterparty! It must be the champagne in combination with the hot tub. It was a satisfying feeling knowing all the hard work was done, and all that was left to do was party!
“It was light outside when we all went to bed, and it was quite entertaining having breakfast with all my friends while some of them were still intoxicated. The weekend was absolutely perfect and it was over too soon.”
‘Max Kuhl of Inner Sanctum tends to have a way of luring beautiful models back to his Dominatrix afterparty! It must be the champagne in combination with the hot tub’
So, with Dani Divine having finished 2016 and begun 2017 as the newly elected Miss Fetish Europe with ten years of latex lovin’ now under her belt, what better way to end this interview than to ask what changes she has noticed in the scene during her decade of decadence.
“The scene has certainly changed a lot since when I first broke into it,” she reckons. “Some once-familiar faces have disappeared, and some have remained (yay — us!) while it continues to grow.
“I discovered the London fetish scene first, London being my hometown. Many top clubs are still going for many years now which is wonderful, even if a few have moved venues. London is fickle when it comes to that!
“There are certain club nights I miss sorely — such as Festival of Sins. Reptile was moved to The Lounge and has been there for a while now. Despite the major upset that occurred, it was definitely a change for the better and comes first in my personal favourites.
In the past few years I have become more familiar with the fetish scene globally, so it has expanded greatly for me although many of these places are home to long running events.
“Another major element that has changed is how the fashion part of it has evolved spectacularly. This has lead to a huge growth in the scene from those who are highly interested in the aesthetic aspects, not to mention models and designers.”
That’s a change which, I would venture to say, Dani Divine has played no small part in. And long may her contributions continue!
Portsmouth-based photographer Francis, aka Frankinsella, shot our January 2017 cover image of Dani Divine wearing House of Harlot latex. Francis tells us:
“A goth at heart, I have attended Whitby Goth Weekends since the mid-’90s and I love the gothic aesthetic, which is starting to come through more in my photography.
“Latex shoots are something I also love. I think the way latex interacts with light looks amazing and I love the challenge of trying to light and capture good shots with it.
“I am hoping to develop this aspect of my photography more in the future and shoot more latex through 2017.”
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2017 Calendar
Alannah Wilder
Aleph link n/a
Alex Perez
Anouk Dyonne
AverageShots
Belinda Bartzner
Bilacous Photography
Bizarre magazine
Bommi
Creep Street
Dani Divine
Dollhouse Photography
Flaunt Fotography
Frankinsella
Hudson Blake
Jack Russell
Josefien Hoekstra
Luci Alice
Maja Stina
Michael Wells link n/a
My Boudoir Photography
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Peter Circle
Peter Ellis link n/a
Scott Chalmers
Tim Williams
Ultimate Psycho
Venerable Photography
Vince Voltage
Click on any individual thumbnail in each gallery to begin a slideshow of all full-size images
Tags: Awards, Latex, Lingerie, Models, Performers
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