HOUSE MIX: House of Harlot models backstage at Dominatrix, Dec 2017 (photo: Tony Mitchell)
Iris concedes that if another opportunity for House of Harlot to supply latex to one of the big high street retailers came along, she would certainly consider whatever deal was on offer.
But she is not convinced that this kind of wholesale contract does much for the typical latex producer, who can’t work on normal rag trade margins and may end up struggling to supply the garments at cost or lower.
So does she think the overall market for latex has grown at all?
“It’s grown because people are more open to it,” she says, “but the number of people who pay good money for it has not increased much.”
Ironically, she reckons the people who are most open to it are those who want fast fashion “where you go to Primark and get ten items for the price of one from another place”.
These consumers want many options that they will typically wear only once or twice before getting bored with them and chucking them — which is not a market latex can easily satisfy.
‘So many girls want to look like Dani and be like her. So if we can make available the style she would choose to wear, I think it will be really good for the people who like her’
“I don’t think these people will pay lots to get a really good outfit, except if they’re actual proper fetishists,” Trika believes.
Her conclusion is that the current heightened awareness of latex in the mainstream is most likely to benefit companies that can keep their prices down because their designs are relatively simple and manufactured outside London.
“But I don’t think it would help companies like mine, or any other person who wants to do complicated, pretty stuff in London.”
I suggest that it’s probably as true of latex as it is of mainstream fashion that the ‘complicated, pretty stuff’ looks great on the catwalk and in photographs — but is not necessarily what people actually buy.
“That’s what the Iris Thespider brand is about,” responds the designer. “It’s so people can reach out and say ‘I want this more complicated thing, can you make it for me?’.
“House of Harlot has always done custom stuff but we didn’t have it on the website, or didn’t have that much visible to the public so they would know that we actually do these amazing things.
“So with Iris Thespider I can actually have a window for people to look at what else we can do. That’s why I’m having the collaboration line in it as well.
“Firstly because I don’t want to affect the original House of Harlot style and because obviously I’m the designer, Iris Thespider is my personal designer line, and I’m doing a collaboration with Dani — so it makes sense.
“But also the style is really strong and reminiscent of some other designs I did in the past for Iris Thespider. So as a whole line the House of Harlot Black Widow collection will look better in that part of the website.”
The collaboration with Dani Divine is a logical extension of the mutually supportive relationship the two women have had for some time, with Dani wearing lots of House of Harlot and being a tireless brand ambassador.
“She has so many people who like her and many girls are fans — they want to be like her and want to look like her,” says Iris. “So if we can make available the style she would choose to wear, I think it will be really good for the people who like her.
“I’m pretty sure Black Widow will work because anything I do with Dani goes really well, and she’s promoted me so much. After the cover story she did
At the German Fetish Ball, the House of Harlot Black Widow collection will be seen only on the catwalk. Iris will not have a stand selling it at the Ball’s sister event, the German Fetish Fair. Not this year, anyway.
“I haven’t done the GFB as a participant before — last year I was just a visitor — so I would like to see first how it is. I’ll be around the Fair looking at how it works and will be able to see whether I want to do it next year.
“A stand would be good because I don’t have a proper shop any more. But it demands a good stock related to what I’ll be showing on the catwalk, and I won’t have enough time to make enough stock to do that this year.”
Trika is adopting the same prudent approach to Fetish Evolution, which is taking place before the Berlin event, over Easter Weekend.
“They asked me to have a booth, and my boyfriend is DJ-ing there this year. So I will be going to FE because he’s playing there, but just to see how it is — I want to observe first before I decide.”
Promoting House of Harlot at events like the German Fetish Ball and Fetish Evolution is something that has to be fitted in around the demands of a continually hectic production schedule.
It’s a situation exacerbated, Iris admits, by difficulties finding the right kind of help. So what exactly is she looking for in assistants or interns that has not been so easy to find?
“Someone who can be 100 percent on it, and not worry about anything else while working. Because that’s the worst thing: if you cannot focus, you cannot learn, you cannot do proper work.
“So everything else from their personal life has to be out of the workplace. They have to be 100 percent focused, they have to communicate and be open to advice or corrections because obviously people are there to learn.”
She tends to look for people from fashion colleges because such people “would like to get involved and do clothing once they’re finished”.
‘What I need is someone who’s willing to learn, who wants to invest time and effort into doing something properly. If someone is here, it’s not just to help me or just to learn, but to do both’
“I prefer to teach someone or have someone around if they’re going to last — not just for five or eight months because then I will have to go through it again with someone else, then someone else.
“Its a bit safer to look in the fashion industry because these are actually the people who want to do it for a job.”
Previous experience with latex is, however, not important.
“What I need to see is someone who’s willing to learn and who wants to invest time and effort into doing something properly. If someone is here they’re not just here to help me, they’re not just here to learn; it’s to do both.
“So you have to learn and you have to be able to help and contribute or there’s no point.”
And, I suggest, presumably also accept that she’s the boss — something I gather one or two previous hopefuls have had problems with.
“Yeah,” she smiles. “The short girl is the boss actually!”
houseofharlot.com
facebook.com/houseofharlot
facebook.com/danidivine
facebook.com/anoukdyonne
masuimimax.com
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BELOW: Click any Masuimi Max Black Widow thumbnail to view full-size image and start slideshow
BELOW: Iris Thespider fashion show models onstage at Dominatrix, Dec 2016 (Photos: Tony Mitchell)
Published April 14, 2017
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